Ruth Keidel Clemens grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where her parents served as Mennonite missionaries. She went on to serve with Mennonite Central Committee for 27 years in Congo, Cambodia, and the United States, holding a variety of leadership roles.In 2020, Ruth created a website for young adults looking for practical tools to find their calling in life, at https: //callingtools.net/. And in 2024, she published African Fables, Book III, a collection of stories her mother gathered from Congolese friends.Ruth holds a B.S. in Music and Psychology from Indiana University (1978), an M.A. in Community Agency Counseling from Western Michigan University (1985), and an M.A. in Management from the College of Notre Dame in Maryland (1998).She and her husband are active members of North Baltimore Mennonite Church, where Ruth plays piano and manages a house for asylum seekers. They live in Baltimore, Maryland, and have four adult children.