Collection: Square Ruth

Ruth Decko Sullo is an educator, artist, presenter, and lifelong student of how people think, learn, and discover what they are capable of. Across more than three decades in education, her work has been guided by a simple but powerful idea: changing the way we think can expand the possibilities we see for ourselves and for others.

A Connecticut educator for 33 years, Ruth taught mathematics in both urban and suburban secondary schools after earning her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Albertus Magnus College and a master's degree in liberal studies from Wesleyan University. Her interests, however, have always extended well beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom. She has studied humanistic education, values clarification, leadership effectiveness, neuro-linguistic programming, gifted education, studio art, art history, and art education—eventually becoming an art teacher and practicing artist alongside her work in mathematics.

That multidisciplinary perspective became central to Ruth's workshops and presentations. Through programs such as Think Like DaVinci!, You CAN Do Math, Math and Parenting, Unintentional Bias—Your Own and Others', and Unintentional Racism in Math Class, she has challenged audiences to question assumptions, approach problems differently, and recognize abilities they may not have realized they possessed.

Her commitment to education has also extended deeply into service. Ruth founded and served as longtime faculty advisor to student organizations including Students Offering Support (S.O.S.) and Peer Mediation. For 20 years, she volunteered with the Thresholds program at Cheshire Correctional Institution, where she taught decision-making skills to groups of incarcerated men.

Across mathematics, art, education, service, and writing, Ruth's work reflects an enduring curiosity about human potential and a belief in the transformative power of learning. Her approach invites readers to look again at familiar ideas, think beyond conventional boundaries, and remain open to discovering something new about the world—and themselves.

Ruth is married and is the mother of a son and two stepsons, as well as a grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of two.