Emily Ruddock
Emily Ruddock is a nonprofit and arts leader with more than 17 years of experience in organizational leadership, advocacy, public policy, and the arts. Since 2019, she has served as Executive Director of MASSCreative, where she leads statewide efforts to strengthen Massachusetts’ creative sector through advocacy, policy, leadership development, and coalition-building.
Under her leadership, MASSCreative has expanded its role as a statewide convener and advocate for the arts and cultural sector. She led the creation of the organization’s Advocacy and Organizing Fellowship, a leadership development program that equips emerging leaders with the skills to organize and advocate for arts and cultural policy. She has also championed a community-centered approach to policymaking that places artists, cultural organizations, and communities directly affected by policy decisions at the center of developing solutions.
Before transitioning into public policy and community organizing, Ruddock built a career as a theatre producer and casting director. As Artistic Producer at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, she managed artistic operations, hiring, budgeting, education initiatives, casting, and production logistics. She began her career at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she collaborated on more than 30 world premiere plays, including works by Idris Goodwin, Molly Smith Metzler, Gina Gionfriddo, and the theatre ensembles Universes, The Civilians, and SITI Company.
Ruddock later served as the first director of Lynn’s Downtown Cultural District, working with local and state partners to position arts and culture as a catalyst for economic development and community revitalization. Her work contributed to new public art initiatives, free cultural programming, and policy changes, including the establishment of Lynn’s first Public Art Commission.
In addition to her work in advocacy and arts leadership, Ruddock serves on the Policy Committee of the Massachusetts Council of Nonprofits. She also helped co-found the Creative States Coalition, a national network of state-level arts advocacy organizations, and currently serves as Co-Chair of its Membership and Governance Committee. She is a passionate potter, creating original ceramic art for her home, family, and friends. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and a Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Holyoke College.