Two leaders in the world of advertising and financial services have been elected to the national Board of Trustees of the March of Dimes Foundation.
March of Dimes trustees, who serve as volunteers, represent the public in governing the organization and advancing its mission, and serve five-year terms. “We’re so pleased to have these dedicated volunteers join our effort to give America’s babies a healthy start in life,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “We rely on volunteers such as Troy Ruhanen, and Bob Woudstra, who bring us their commitment to our mission, their marketing and business savvy, and their community-based experience.”
The new trustees are:
- Troy Ruhanen, deputy chairman of BBDO North America. Mr. Ruhanen’s work overseeing BBDO’s AT&T assignment has won several advertising awards. Prior to BBDO, Mr. Ruhanen was executive vice president and managing director at Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett Worldwide, where he also ran Burnett's agency in Sydney, Australia. He is active with several national and international charities, including those that benefit children with disabilities. In 2008, he was inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement. A native of Australia, he is a graduate of Queensland University of Technology. He and his wife have four children and live in Bronxville, New York.
- Robert Woudstra, Chief Executive Officer of Farmers Group, Inc., and a member of the Group Management Board of parent group Zurich Financial Services, Ltd. Mr. Woudstra was Chief Operating Officer of Foremost Insurance Group when it was acquired by Farmers in 2000. Since then, he has served as CEO of Farmers Specialty, Senior Vice President of Farmers Group, and Executive Vice President of Property and Casualty Operations, before being named to his present position in 2009. Under Mr. Woudstra’s leadership, Farmers Group has been a national corporate sponsor of the March of Dimes since 2004. Mr. Woudstra holds a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University and is also a certified public accountant. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Sue. They have two children and five grandchildren.