Representative to the LWV Cook County Board

2026–2028

Chris Ruys (pronounced Royce) cut her teeth in activism during the New Left student movement in the late 60s, advocating for equal housing in Bloomington-Normal, and later, against the unfair treatment of women and other issues of the time. Her intense interest in the support of human rights led her to join the League of Women Voters of Chicago in 2016, to fight to preserve democracy and freedom against authoritarianism.

She founded Chris Ruys Communications, Inc., in January 1984 after 12 years of public relations agency experience, specializing in services for women in business. Applying her PR skills for the League, she handled all the media relations and media partnerships for the 2017 State of the City luncheon and fundraiser. 

In 2024-25, she served on the LWVIL’s Misinformation and Disinformation Task Force. In that capacity, she wrote and implemented a PR Plan, which included a PR Toolkit, monthly news releases, Op-Eds and PSAs for broadcast media. Some of the materials are posted on a permanent page on the LWVIL website.

Currently, she co-chairs the monthly Loop Unit meetings with Debby Halpern. Together, they arrange speakers and write e-vites and meeting reports. She is also an active participant in the Chicago League’s current Study on how the city elects its mayors. A member of the League’s City Government Committee, she has helped build awareness of the need for government transparency. She has served as LWV Chicago’s representative to the LWV Cook County Board since May 2026.

For several years, Chris served on the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Chicago Area chapter. She was also a charter board member of the Today's Chicago Woman Foundation and a founder and President of SUPPORT/Chicago, a nonprofit formed by women to support the Chicago Public Schools at a critical time in its history.

Chris was inducted into The Vidette Hall of Fame at Illinois State University in 2016. She was one of 25 women business owners featured in the Women’s Business Development Center’s 25th anniversary celebration in 2011. She received the "Woman Business Owner of the Year" award from the National Association of Women Business Owners and was featured on the cover of Today's Chicago Woman magazine. 

A graduate of Illinois State University, Chris has a B.A. in English with a minor in Spanish. In 1971, she was editor-in-chief of The Vidette student newspaper and parlayed that position into her first job as an editor of the daily newsletter at General Electric in Bloomington, Ill.

Chris is an artist whose works have been exhibited at the School of the Art Institute and other venues. She has a Certificate in drawing and painting from the school. Some of her mixed media works are posted on Instagram.