Lydia Ruter is Project Manager for the philanthropy team at Gary Community Ventures, where she drives cross-functional collaboration on transformative initiatives such as the child care initiative and an early wealth building pilot.

With over a decade of experience in financial empowerment, Lydia brings expertise spanning direct service, leadership, project management and consulting. At Change Machine, she led the national rollout of the Financial Health Initiative in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, embedding financial coaching into 150 social service organizations across the country. She also led community engagement for Change Machine’s 2,600-member Community of Practice, fostering peer learning and professional connection.

In Denver, Lydia was instrumental in launching and expanding the city’s Financial Empowerment Center, providing free financial coaching to local residents. She later founded Cultivate Change, a consulting firm focused on project management, partnership development, facilitation and event planning.

Based in Arvada, Lydia finds joy in outdoor adventures with her husband and two children. She also enjoys gardening with friends, savoring a good cup of coffee and getting lost in a great book.