Dr. Ruby Ababio-Fernandez

Deputy Superintendent & Senior Executive Officer of the Office of Equity & Access (OEA) for New York City’s Department of Education

Dr. Ruby Ababio-Fernandez

Deputy Superintendent & Senior Executive Officer of the Office of Equity & Access (OEA) for New York City’s Department of Education

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Biography

Dr. Ruby is an educator, author, and leadership coach who has spent her career at the intersection of personal transformation and systemic change. As co-author of Shifting Self and System, she brings together research, lived experience, and practical tools to help school and district leaders do the hardest, and most important work of their careers on purpose.

Her approach is rooted in the belief that the most powerful lever for organizational change is the individual leader: their story, their blind spots, their relationships, and their willingness to grow and adapt. She doesn't just speak about adaptive leadership, she studies it, she lives it, and has spent years helping others navigate it.

Her unique qualifications, perspective and approach undergirded by collaboration, adaptive leadership, systems thinking and emergence strategies position Dr. Ruby as a vital force for leaders and organizations across sectors dedicated to creating positive, lasting change. She also serves as Nkosohemaa (Queen of Development) of the Apirede Township in the eastern region of Ghana.

Speech Topics

Leadership from the Inside-Out

True leadership transformation begins within. This session guides leaders through the powerful inner work of examining identity, beliefs, and behavioral defaults, and shows how that self-knowledge becomes the most strategic tool they have for leading others.

Beyond the Training Chase

Well-intentioned change efforts too often cycle without landing. Dr. Ruby names why, and offers a more honest, more effective path from performative practice to transformation that holds.

Meeting the Moment

A powerful call to recommitment grounded in personal narrative, shared purpose, and the conviction that leaders who own their story and invest in their people create outcomes nothing can contain.

Leading in the Complexity

Adaptive challenges require adaptive leaders. Dr. Ruby equips leaders to accurately diagnose what they are facing, navigate competing demands, and lead with clarity when the path forward is anything but clear.

The Culture You're Creating

Every leader is shaping a culture, intentionally or not. This session shows how to build organizations where belonging, psychological safety, and collective intelligence drive innovation and sustainable outcomes.

Wellbeing and Healing as a Leadership Strategy

Healing is not a soft add-on, it is a precondition for resilient, effective, enduring leadership. Dr. Ruby makes the case and shows the way.

Women Who Lead

An honest, energizing conversation about the distinctive journey of women in leadership, and the identity, community, and strategy required to rise, sustain, and dismantle the barriers along the way.

Testimonials

“The Beyond Diversity seminar demonstrated and reinforced that authentic cross-racial dialogue is a powerful tool needed to address and dismantle systemic racial disparities in our personal and professional lives. Glenn and Dr. Ruby brought their expertise and experience in such an authentic way, that it provided a safe space for all participants to be vulnerable, open-minded, and self-reflect. Through individual and group exercises, we worked through uncomfortable realizations and practiced mindfulness and curiosity to deepen our understanding of race and take meaningful action toward fostering a more inclusive, anti-racist society.“

- Global Head of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Tripadvisor Group

"Dr. Ruby is a masterful facilitator, coach, thinker, and speaker. As a lifelong educator, she brings the full breath of her experience to every engagement. Drawing on her time teaching and leading in schools, her experience coaching principals and district leaders, and her ancestral wisdom as a Ghanaian. Dr. Ruby has been able to help inspire and transform so many in my organization. Having led at the most senior levels in the largest school district in the nation, she has leveraged her deep knowledge of equity and belonging to support learners at all stages in my organization- from professional development for new teachers to executive coaching of our most senior leaders. If you are looking for someone to inspire, empower, and uplift- all while holding you accountable to reaching your highest potential- then look no further than Dr. Ruby."

- Senior Executive Director, Non-Profit Organization

"It was absolutely incredible listening to Dr. Ruby’s keynote at the APi Group Women's Summit! Your ability to educate, bring awareness, challenge worldviews, & be REAL was extremely impactful. Thank you for the time you allowed for me to reflect on my legacy!"

- Conference Participant

"Few leadership coaches have influenced my growth and practice as deeply as Dr. Ruby. During a critical period of school improvement, she helped our team stay focused on what mattered most: improving outcomes for students. Her unwavering commitment to excellence, professionalism, and purposeful leadership contributed to our school’s successful journey from New York State CSI status to good standing. Although our work together mostly occurred during my years as a principal, I still find myself reflecting on her guidance and the lessons she taught about focus, accountability, and excellence in service of children. Her influence remains evident in my leadership today as a Deputy Superintendent."

- District Leader, NYCPS

"Dr. Ruby’s presentation challenged us to rethink leadership; not as providing answers, but as asking better questions. Inquiry, she noted, drives transformation by helping us distinguish technical from adaptive challenges and solutions. Through individual and group exercises, we explored how curiosity and reflective thinking can reshape complex systems; a mindset that also applies to energy transitions and climate policy. The truth is, leadership isn’t discipline-specific. Whether you’re in a classroom or on a climate task force, the ability to listen deeply, collaborate intentionally, and lead adaptively matters. Grateful for the perspectives gained and the people I met. Sometimes, the most unexpected rooms are the ones we need most."

- Petroleum Engineer