Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D., founder of aha! Process, Inc., is dedicated to positively impacting the education and lives of individuals in poverty. Since the mid-1990s she has been speaking to audiences around the world about the effects of poverty on students, families, and communities and how to better understand and support people from all economic backgrounds.
Dr. Payne has been a career educator and has served in many roles, including teacher, principal, and administrator. She has worked with thousands of organizations—schools, businesses, social services, law enforcement, church groups, and more—to get rid of the barriers to success posed by economic class differences among people and groups. Dr. Payne works with organizations in countries throughout the globe, including the U.S., Canada, India, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Slovakia, and many more.
Dr. Payne is the author of numerous books, including A Framework for Understanding Poverty (more than 1 million copies sold) and Bridges Out of Poverty. She received her Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from Loyola University in Illinois, her M.A. in English literature from Western Michigan University, and her B.A. from Goshen College in Indiana.
