Dr. Ruby Ababio-Fernandez is the Senior Executive Director of the Office of Equity and Access, NYCDOE. Dr. Ruby brings two decades of experience and an unyielding commitment to a vision of transforming lives of the adults, children, communities, and school systems. She has deep expertise in developing leaders in schools, districts, and organizations to lead unapologetically in a movement of educational equity. She believes her work helps set conditions and support leaders in developing the will, skill, knowledge, and dispositions needed to understand issues inherent in racial disparities.  Dr. Ruby leads an extensive portfolio which includes the city-wide Implicit Bias Initiative, Advanced Placement for All, DREAM-Specialized High Schools Institute and state and national model Youth Development. Prior to this position, Dr. Ruby also served as Senior Strategy and Policy Advisor for Educational Equity leading the city-wide initiative on Equity, Implicit Bias and Culturally Responsive Education and Associate VP of Equity at NYC Leadership Academy. Confronting racial inequities is uncomfortable but an area that Dr. Ruby intentionally commits to leaning into every single day. She notes that “It’s my pulse check that I’m alive personally, professionally, and living up to my greater purpose in serving others; primarily those most underrepresented and underserved as well. Knowing that I am part of something so worthy, fuels me!”