Ruth Benjamin served as Director of Health Management and Research at Heritage Christian Services for 33 years and spent an additional year as Aging and End of Life Care planner. As director, she provided leadership to both the Nursing Team and the Dieticians, as well as medical oversight for the nurses caring for 400 individuals with intellectual disabilities. On a consulting basis, she continues to advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with medical complexities and their families. She is founder and president of the Finger Lakes Nurse Honor Guard, which honors nurses at the end of their life journey. She is certified in Developmental Disability Nursing, Rehabilitative Nursing, and Hospice and Palliative Care, and she is an Advanced Steps ACP (Advance Care Planning) Facilitator. She is an active member of the NYS Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association (DDNA) and was one of the first 100 nurses to become a Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse (CDDN). Additionally, she serves on the Regional Mortality Review Committee and as a board member of the DDNA. Her professional contributions also include participation in the development of I/DD curriculum and instruction for nursing students at St. John Fisher College.