Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar is Interim Director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum where she previously served as the Director of Education. From November 2019 to May 2021, Ruki was the Smithsonian Institution’s Acting Under Secretary for Education and led the institution’s team that responded to the distance learning needs of the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally from Chennai, India, she holds a bachelor’s degree from Stella Maris College (India) and an MFA from Iowa State University. Before joining the Smithsonian, Ruki, an award-winning designer, was Associate Dean and Professor of Design at the University of Central Oklahoma. She has served in leadership roles at all levels of the AIGA, and in 2015, was named an AIGA Oklahoma Fellow for her advocacy and leadership as a design educator. Ruki draws from her international experiences as a designer and educator to reimagine the future of education and how learners access it.