About Ruby
Ruby Sinreich is the founder and editor of OrangePolitics.org, a progressive multi-author weblog with a vibrant community discussing local issues around her hometown of Chapel Hill, NC. Professionally, she specializes in strategies that connect people to each other, sometimes known as “network-centric advocacy,” “social media,” “Web 2.0,” or “grassroots organizing,” depending upon what type of geek one is.
Ruby is the Director of New Media Strategy at HASTAC, an innovative interdisciplinary project that works to build the field of digital media and learning. She previously served as the Co-Director of Communications at the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith organization working for peace and justice through active nonviolence since 1914. Her previous professional experience includes social network analysis, blogger outreach, organizer capacity-building, web site design and development, online communication strategy, and all manner of trainings. Ruby has helped hundreds of progressive nonprofits use technology more effectively in service of their educational, movement-building, and political missions. She has worked with organizations of all sizes and scopes including local women’s centers, statewide advocacy organizations, and national and international institutions such as Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Greenpeace International, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Ruby is also an engaging and informative public speaker and workshop facilitator. She has led sessions or served on panels at South by Southwest Interactive, Harvard’s Berkman Center, NetSquared, IPDI’s Politics Online Conference, N-TEN’s Nonprofit Technology Conference, and many other events for nonprofits and advocacy organizations.
Ruby earned a BSPH from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1993, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University in 2000. She has served on a variety of nonprofit and local government boards and commissions including the Chapel Hill Planning Board, which she chaired for two years. Ruby practices Engaged Buddhism. She lives in a townhouse on the edge of Bolin Creek with her husband Brian, son Izzy, and two insane cats.
Please see résumé for more information and links.
Selected workshops and presentations:
- UMR Communicators Conference, Dallas, Texas
Keynote speaker. February 2010 - Ignite Raleigh, Raleigh, North Carolina
Featured speaker: “Network-centricity in 5 minutes” August 2009 - National Conference for Media Reform, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Panelist: “Organizing for Change on the Social Web” June 2008 - Women Who Tech teleconference
Panel moderator: “Build An Online Campaign And Change The World” March 2008 - Nonprofit Technology Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana
Solo session speaker: “Don’t Push the River, It Flows by Itself” March 2008 - ConvergeSouth, Greensboro, North Carolina
Panelist: “We do agree to disagree” October 2007 - Yearly Kos, Chicago, Illinois
panelist: “Politics 2.0: How Social Networks and New Media Are Changing Politics” and “Promotion, Publicity, Powncing and Partnerships” July 2007 - Personal Democracy Forum, New York, New York
Panel moderator, “Is Cyberspace Colorblind? Addressing Race and Class Online” May 2007 - Nonprofit Technology Conference, Washington, District of Columbia
Session designer “The future of online engagement,” panelist: “The Community Driven Nonprofit: Web 2.0 Applied,” and “User-centric web publishing: Using RSS, tags, and microformats to give your stakeholders the content they want” April 2007 - Politics Online Conference, Washington, District of Columbia
Panelist, “The Last Kingmakers: Local Blogs” March 2007 - Berkman Center/Sunlight Foundation Working Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts
Panelist and participant, “Local Candidate Information in the Internet Era” 2007 - Alliance for Regional Stewardship fall forum, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Panelist, “Communicating Regional Issues in a New Media World” 2006 - Triangle United Way communication seminar, Durham, North Carolina
Presenter, “Online Communication” 2006 - Net Squared Conference, San Jose, California
Panel immoderator, “Activism: when emailing your congressperson doesn’t quite feel like enough…” 2006 - IFIwatchnet Council Meeting, Montevideo, Uruguay
Presenter and facilitator, Network-Centric Advocacy 2006 - South by Southwest Interactive, Austin, Texas
Panelist, “Revenge of the Blogs: Election 2008” 2006 - N-TEN National Technology Conference , Seattle, Washington
Session designer and workshop facilitator, “The Future of Online Communications” 2006 - Co-hosted online event at TechSoup: Impact of Web 2.0 on nonprofits, 2005
- Southeast regional meeting of Connect US Atlanta, Georgia
Presentation on network-centric advocacy 2005 - Regional N-TEN conference Washington, District of Columbia
Presentation on online advocacy 2004 - Regional N-TEN conference, Greensboro, North Carolina
Presentation on choosing a vendor 2004 - PlaNetwork Interactive Conference, San Fransisco, California
Panelist on online advocacy strategies 2004 - University of North Carolina Executive Education Program, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Panelist on community blogging, 2003 - Federation of State Conservation Voters Leagues National Meeting, Raleigh, North Carolina
Curbside consulting on web site development, 2002 - Duke University Certificate in Nonprofit Management, Durham, North Carolina
Developed and taught HTML class for nonprofits, 2000 – 2003 - BlueCross BlueShield Healthy Community Institute
Wilmington & Charlotte, North Carolina
Presentations and curbside consulting on nonprofit web sites, 1999 – 2005


Your rants