Ruth Ann Harnisch (born 1950) is an American investor, activist, philanthropist, writer, and coach. A former

news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...

and radio talk-show host, according to ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' she was "one of the first women to anchor evening news, and had an award winning career in radio and print media." Her on-air reporting for

WTVF-TV WTVF (channel 5) is a television station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Ion Television owned-and-operated station WNPX-TV (channel 28). WTVF's studios are located ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

resulted in an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

nomination, after which she opened a

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

coaching practice as a professional coach. Harnisch founded and is president of the Harnisch Foundation, through which she founded programs such as Awesome Without Borders, SupporTED, and Funny Girls. Among other grants, the institution has funded the formation of the coaching department at

McLean Hospital McLean Hospital () (formerly known as Somerville Asylum and Charlestown Asylum) is a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. McLean maintains the world's largest neuroscientific and psychiatric research program in a private hospital. It i ...

and the journalism departments at

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in the Kennesaw area and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was founded ...

and

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City, United States. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the colle ...

. Earning the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Coaching in 2016, the year prior

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

named her one of "11

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

activists you should know." She has served as an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

on films such as ''Unrest,'' ''

The Hunting Ground ''The Hunting Ground'' is a 2015 American documentary film about the incidence of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States and the reported failure of college administrations to deal with it adequately. Written and directed by Ki ...

'', '' The House of Tomorrow'', ''Columbus'', ''Love the Sinner'', and '' Lucky''.

Early life and education

Ruth Ann Harnisch was born in 1950 in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, where she spent her childhood. As a teenager in the 1960s she worked as a teen

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

for the Buffalo radio station WYSL-FM, using the name Karin Kelly. On June 1, 2011, she was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. On May 10, 2012, Kennesaw State University in

Kennesaw, Georgia Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under i ...

awarded her its 14th

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Career

1960s-1997

Early in her career Harnisch went into media, reporting and journalism, subsequently spending three decades in the field. She started her writing career with the ''

Buffalo Courier-Express The ''Buffalo Courier-Express'' was a morning newspaper in Buffalo, New York. It ceased publication on September 19, 1982. History The ''Courier-Express'' was created in 1926 by a merger of the ''Buffalo Daily Courier'' and the ''Buffalo Morni ...

'', and after her time as a DJ with WYSL she worked briefly with the Buffalo-based stations

WGR-TV WGRZ (channel 2) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo, and its transmitter is located on Warner Hill Ro ...

and

WKBW-TV WKBW-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Buffalo, New York, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains studios at 7 Broadcast Plaza in downtown Buffalo and a transmitter on Center Stree ...

. In the 1970s she joined

WLAC WLAC (1510 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a talk radio radio format, format. The radio studio, studios are in Nashvill ...

(later

), the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

-TV affiliate in

, as an on-camera consumer reporter and as a street reporter. She became a WTVF-TV

television anchor A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

, where her on-air reporting resulted in an

nomination. During her fifteen years with the station she was the first female anchor on WTVF-TV and one of the first in the evening news in Nashville. Beyond her television appearances, she hosted a daily talk-radio program on

-AM, the "Ruth Ann Leach Show," and worked as an

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...

columnist for the ''

Nashville Banner The ''Nashville Banner'' is a defunct daily newspaper of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, which published from April 10, 1876 until February 20, 1998. The ''Banner'' was published each Monday through Friday afternoon (as well as Saturdays unt ...

'' for seventeen years. After retiring from her career in journalism, Harnisch became

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of More Than Money, a national nonprofit helping the wealthy invest in philanthropy. While with More Than Money she developed an interest in the organization's coaching program, and began studying the field of professional coaching herself. She became an International Association of Coaching (IAC) Master Certified Coach as well as a Board Certified Coach, and also joined the IAC and the

International Coach Federation The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to professional coaching. ICF is an accrediting and credentialing body for both training programs and coaches. Overview ICF has over 50,000 members in over 150 ...

. Harnisch founded a "strictly pro bono" coaching practice.

1998-2013

Described as a proponent of “creative philanthropy,” in 1998 Harnisch created the Harnisch Foundation, becoming the organization's president. With a philanthropic focus on projects promoting

gender equity Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

racial equality Racial equality is when people of all Race (human categorization), races and Ethnic group, ethnicities are treated in an egalitarian/equal manner. Racial equality occurs when institutions give individuals legal, moral, and Civil and political r ...

, "social innovation," and "sustainable" journalism, one of the foundation's first grants was to a local Nashville chapter of

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is an LGBTQ advocacy organization founded and led by friends and family of LGBTQ people. PFLAG is a national organization presiding over decentralized local and regional chapters. PFLAG has nearly ...

. Subsequent investments have included projects such as

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

campaigns, social impact films, and "convenings." Harnisch's unusual charitable investing through the foundation was covered on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

'' and ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

''. In 2006 Harnisch co-founded and began supporting The Foundation of Coaching, which provided coaching-related research grants. Around 2008 she donated $2 million to found

's Institute of Coaching at Harvard, and she subsequently funded the annual International Coaching Research Forum, the Coaching Commons, and the formation of the Center for Sustainable Journalism at

, and the formation of the Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions at

. After serving as a founding funder of the

TED Fellows TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

program with Renee Friedman she co-founded the coaching and mentoring support program for the Fellows, or SupporTED. Recruiting professional coaches to coach TED fellows for free, SupporTED later led to the TED Fellows Collaboratorium events. In 2013 the Harnisch Foundation formed Awesome Without Borders, its own chapter of the Awesome Foundation which distributes weekly $1,000 grants to project creators. Harnisch has invested in women-owned startups.

2014-2018

In February 2014 Harnisch and her husband invested

seed money Seed money, also known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor puts capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' suggest ...

in the job search company The Muse. The Harnisch Foundation underwrites professional coaching programs to "support women in their leadership," and in 2014 she supported the Sundance Women Filmmakers Initiative Fellows with funds for personal coaching and mentoring. The Harnisch Foundation "refocused its mission on helping women and girls" in late 2014, with Harnisch splitting her time between her work with the Harnisch Foundation and her pro bono coaching practice.

named her one of "11 women’s rights activists you should know in March 2015," also publishing a feature on her through its

Women's History Month Women's History Month is an annual observance to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. Celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with Internationa ...

series. Also that month Harnisch hosted a workshop with Feminist.com and launched #NotJustAStat, an online campaign featuring celebrities such as

Lena Dunham Lena Dunham (; born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series '' Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two G ...

and

Gloria Feldt Gloria Feldt (born April 13, 1942) is an American author, speaker, commentator, and feminist activist who gained recognition as a social and political advocate of women's rights. In 2013, she and Amy Litzenberger founded Take the Lead, a nonp ...

. In 2015 and 2016 Harnisch and her foundation created the Funny Girls initiative, which involves teaching leadership through improv. Involved in several film projects as a film producer, in 2015 Harnisch served as an

on ''

''. Also working with the filmmakers of '' Hot Girls Wanted'', she was executive producer of the 2017 films '' The House of Tomorrow'', ''Unrest,'' ''Columbus'', ''Love the Sinner'', and '' Lucky''. In June 2017, she moderated a panel at the

Greenwich International Film Festival The Greenwich International Film Festival (or GIFF) is a non-profit organization that celebrates the visual arts in Greenwich, CT, with an annual film festival in June and supporting events throughout the year. The Festival, located in downtown Gr ...

. Harnisch remains head of the Harnisch Foundation.

Directorships and memberships

Harnisch has been or remains involved with organizations related to philanthropy, women's rights, journalism, and professional coaching. Early in her career Harnisch joined the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

(SPJ) and the

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ...

of the SPJ's nonprofit arm, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. She was a member of the

Radio Television Digital News Association The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA, pronounced the same as " rotunda"), formerly the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), is a United States-based membership organization of radio, television, and online news dir ...

and on the boards of the International Association of Coaching, the International Coach Federation Foundation, and the Thomas J. Leonard Foundation. She is also a former chair of More Than Money. A long-term member of the former Broadcasters Foundation, Harnisch is a current member of Women at

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...

, New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), the Film and Media Circle of the Women Donors Network, and the Women Moving Millions (WMM) organization, where by 2014 she was co-chairing's WMM's Film Circle, of which she is a member and founder. She is also a member of Rachel's Network. She is also a current member of the International Women's Forum, American Women in Radio and Television, and the Buffalo Broadcasters Association.

Personal life

Ruth Ann Harnisch and her husband William Harnisch maintain a residence in

Southampton, New York Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stre ...

Recognition

*2011 - Honorary doctor of humane letters degree from

*2012 -

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from Kennesaw State University *2014 - Forty over 40 List of Women - honors "women who are upending the perception that 40 is past your prime" *2017 - ''Good Housekeeping'' - Ten Power Players Blazing New Trails Beyond The Boardroom *2008 - Harvard Coaching Conference - first recipient of the Vision of Excellence Award *2016 - ''

Inside Philanthropy ''Inside Philanthropy'' is a news website about large philanthropic foundations and wealthy donors, created by David Callahan in 2013. The site issues its own set of awards, such as the Philanthropist of the Year award and the Boldest Philant ...

'' - 50 Most Powerful Women in U.S. Philanthropy *2016 - The International Association of Coaching - Lifetime Achievement Award

Production history

*2014 - ''The Sand Storm'' (short by Jason Wishnow) - associate producer *2015 - ''

'' (documentary by director

Kirby Dick Kirby Bryan Dick (born August 23, 1952) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best known for directing documentary films. He received Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Best Docume ...

) - executive producer *2017 - ''Unrest'' (feature film by director Jennifer Brea) - executive producer *2017 - '' Lucky'' (feature film by director

John Carroll Lynch John Carroll Lynch (born August 1, 1963) is an American character actor and film director. He first gained notice for his role as Norm Gunderson in '' Fargo'' (1996). He is also known for his television work on the ABC sitcom ''The Drew Carey Sh ...

) - executive producer *2017 - ''Love the Sinner'' (feature film by director Jessica Devaney) - executive producer *2017 - ''Columbus'' (feature film by director Kogonada) - executive producer *2017: '' The House of Tomorrow'' (feature by director Peter Livolsi) - executive producer *2024: '' An Unfinished Journey'' - producer *2025: ''Sister Senators'' (documentary by Emily Harrold) - executive producer Balaga, Marta (2024-11-01). "'Sister Senators' Follows Battle Against Division, Misogyny in South Carolina's Upper House: 'We Are the Losers in This Toxic Environment'". ''Variety''. Retrieved 4/13/2025.

References

External links

The Harnisch FoundationRuth Ann Harnisch's blogAwesome Without Borders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harnisch, Ruth Ann Philanthropists from New York (state) American women philanthropists Living people 1951 births Writers from Buffalo, New York American reporters and correspondents American broadcast news analysts Activists from Buffalo, New York American women television journalists 21st-century American women American documentary film producers American women documentary filmmakers American women film producers