Experienced Leadership
Ruth Ferry Senior Vice President and Director Au Pair in America
Ruth Ferry is senior vice president and director of Au Pair in America. With 36 years of international cultural exchange experience, Ferry is the responsible officer for the Visitor Exchange Program of the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the United States Department of State. She has been director of Au Pair in America since 1998 and prior to that was assistant director for seven years.
Ferry supervises au pair budgetary matters and placement of more than 5,000 au pairs from more than 60 countries annually, and manages a field network of more than 180 people in 40 states and 40 home office employees. She is responsible for marketing and communications to attract host families and find au pairs, contract management, trouble-shooting and problem solving. She also developed and oversees the first-in-the-nation model training program for au pairs when they arrive in the U.S. Ferry runs the training of the field network and supervises all logistical support services for au pairs, host families and staff.
Ferry is a recipient of several leadership awards and is a past member of the Business Leadership Group of the Business Council of Fairfield County, Connecticut. As a member of the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange, she regularly consults with industry leaders and the Department of State on regulatory standards governing au pair and other cultural exchange programs. She developed the first-of-its-kind child-safety instructional program for au pairs during their stay in the U.S.
The mother of two grown daughters, Ferry placed au pairs in her own home and intimately knows the benefits of in-home care with a cross-cultural component that Au Pair in America’s customers experience. She is a regular contributor to causes associated with child welfare and disease, especially the American Juvenile Diabetes Association. Ferry has traveled to more than 31 countries in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, always deepening her awareness and interest in cross-cultural issues.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from York University in Toronto, Canada.
