Once she became a trustee in 2014, she guided grant investments and leadership as a member of the Community Investment Committee and Nominating and Board Governance Committee. And she led on evolving the foundation’s nursing recognition and scholarship programs, the most meaningful experiences for her.  “When you read scholarship applications, you see how people are willing to overcome hardships in their own lives to go to nursing school,” Ruth said. “We can say to them, ‘come here, we’ll help you.’”

Ruth was instrumental in helping the foundation help others on a larger scale through the Volunteer Nurse Corps. First established by PHF in 2016, the program is administered by the School of Nursing at Palm Beach Atlantic University and utilizes volunteer nurses to provide health information, education, and care to vulnerable populations in Palm Beach County—a role that was critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, and where Ruth’s leadership was invaluable. 

Ruth’s care and compassion extend to her giving. She established The Schwarzkopf Family Greatest Need Fund at Palm Health Foundation to support evolving community challenges. “I put all my trust in the board and being good stewards of the foundation’s assets,” she said. “It’s one of the hardest working, most dynamic, dedicated boards I’ve ever been on, and the staff and their enormous engagement with community and understanding their needs really makes PHF stand out.”



Patrick McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Health Foundation, describes Ruth as “a true nursing leader who can see through the complexity of our ever-changing healthcare system to ensure the patient’s needs always come first. She cares deeply about people. We’ve experienced it in her leadership of the foundation, particularly during the pandemic when she served as our eyes and ears for how we could best support healthcare professionals and the community. And we have experienced it in her friendship. She is always the first trustee to congratulate staff on milestones with handwritten notes and a kind word. She sets the example for healthcare professionals to lead with compassion—which she will continue to do for a long time as a volunteer for the foundation and in the nursing community.”

The feeling is mutual. “I know what a hardworking dedicated group they are, and I only expect great things to continue,” Ruth said.