Kelle Ruden is a 7th generation Texan and has called Connecticut home since 2000 with her husband, Jeffrey.  Her career in the book business included bookstores, publishing, and libraries.  She served as the Manager and Editor of the Discover Great New Writers program at Barnes & Noble, as a Marketing Director at Random House, and as the Program Director at the Westport Library, from 2013 to 2016 where she planned and executed over 400 cultural and educational programs each year. She recently retired as the Lecture Coordinator for Shankar Vedantam, whose Hidden Brain program reaches over 4 million listeners weekly on NPR Stations and all major Podcast platforms.  

Her volunteer work includes serving as the Chapter Regent for the Drum Hill Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution and the 1st Vice President of The Federated Garden Clubs of CT.  Additionally, she is an accredited National Garden Clubs, Inc. Flower Show Judge, a UConn Advanced Master Gardener and the Past President of the Westport Garden Club. Her contributions and work with Alzheimer’s focused charities began in 2014 and continue in memory of her mother-in-law Carole.