About The Harnisch Foundation

Prior to her philanthropic focus, Ruth Ann’s multimedia career in Nashville,TN allowed her to break a few glass ceilings. She was a television news reporter and anchor (fun fact, Oprah was her cubicle neighbor at CBS affiliate WTVF-TV), radio talk show host (WLAC-AM), OpEd Columnist and newspaper feature writer (Nashville Banner). This work taught her how public policy affected everyday lives and the fate of the world. Her days and nights on those jobs were a constant adventure in discovering what can go wrong in the world (and how people can prevent, fix, and/or reverse wrongness). She learned there were many ways to create social change.

One sure way to influence change is to apply money. So when Ruth Ann and Bill Harnisch married (and his generosity added personal financial resources to her tools of influence), TheHF was born. Millions of dollars and thousands of grants later, she’s grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the causes she cares about most. Because she’s been sensitive to systems of inequality throughout her life, her philanthropic interests lean toward creating a fairer world for everyone, especially those who don’t benefit from a world built to serve white straight cis able-bodied men.

Outside of the foundation, Ruth Ann is a private investor with a portfolio that includes women-led startups. Ruth Ann invests both personal and philanthropic capital in content creation, including feature films, documentaries, series, and other media that advance social causes and explore topics of important public interest, often in partnership with other funders including Impact Partners. Her documentary films have been shortlisted for (Unrest), nominated for (The Hunting Ground), and won (Icarus, Best Documentary Feature, 2017) Oscar consideration.

Ruth Ann is also a professional certified coach. She has an active pro bono practice coaching “people who are up to something big in the world,” skills that also inform her volunteer service as a trained Crisis Text Line crisis counselor. Ruth Ann is a member of the Women Donors Network, Women Moving Millions, Rachel’s Network (environmental funders), the International Women’s Forum (Tennessee and New York City Forums), the Women at Sundance Leadership Council, and the Leadership Nashville Alumni Association. If you see her bouncing around the Zoom chat, she’s getting in those Fitbit steps. And because she’s over 70 she’ll be wearing a mask wherever she’s working on dismantling patriarchal white supremacy.

Founded in 2000, his Peconic Partners hedge fund is his main vehicle for investment. He managed and sold two other investment firms during his career. Bill graduated from Baruch College of the City University of New York, where he now serves as a trustee of the Baruch College Fund Board and is a member of the Investment Committee. He was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1977, and is a member of the CFA Institute. He also belongs to the New York Academy of Sciences, YPO, and CEO.

His opinions on markets have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, The New York Times, Business Week, Bloomberg News, and many other international publications.

Bill’s industry expertise in the field of health care informs his philanthropic interests, and in fact it was at an event for one of his medical charities that he met his future wife, Ruth Ann. In recent years Bill has taken a very active role in the Foundation’s work. He’s been an advisor and coach to TED Fellows as well as Baruch students who receive scholarships he’s endowed. He’s led the research on most of the social change documentaries in which the Foundation has invested.

He’s never forgotten his Queens, New York roots and he will gladly show you where he learned to swim, which in perfect alignment with our mission, used to be the Boys Club, and is now the Boys and Girls Club.

In addition to her work as a connector within the philanthropic domain, Jenny is a Juilliard-trained oboist with worldwide performances to her credit, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. Jenny served on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music PreCollege Division from 1997-2017. She was a 2016 The Nantucket Project Scholar. She relishes wearing many hats and resides in New York City with her husband, award-winning interactive media designer Jake Barton, and children, Dexter and Pippa.

Ondine has piloted social media initiatives in her time at the Brooklyn Historical Society after working in influencer marketing at a female founded and female-run tech startup. She has also written about sexism at work, reproductive health, and body image for various women’s publications, websites, and magazines. She graduated from Hamilton College in 2017 with a B.A. in Women’s Studies and Comparative Literature. When she is not glued to her phone, she is most likely to be spotted at the duck pond in Prospect Park, sipping a glass of natural wine, or crafting brownies that are just the right amount of fudgy on the inside yet crumbly on the out.

Jill has worked as a Teaching Artist in both public and private NYC schools, and is the Director of Special Education for Stages On The Sound. In a partnership with QSAC, she created and ran a Drama Education program specifically for students on the autism spectrum, which was recognized at the 2019 Broadway Arts for Autism benefit.  In addition, Jill has worked as an applied improv instructor with The Engaging Educator, and an audiobook narrator with Recorded Books.