Ruth Burt Ekstrom, 95, a research psychologist, died on August 2, 2026 at Penn Medicine, Plainsboro Twp., NJ.

Ekstrom moved to Princeton in 1957 and joined the research staff at Educational Testing Service.  At the time of retirement, in 1997, Ruth was a Principal Research Scientist in the ETS Education Policy Research Division.  She served as Executive Director of that division from 1992 to 1995.  Ruth's research at ETS centered on issues of educational and occupational attainment, especially for women and minorities.  She was the author or editor of several books and monographs as well as numerous book chapters and articles in professional journals.  She was also the editor of the ETS Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests and the author of a variety of counseling materials.  Ruth was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.  In 1996, she received the American Counseling Association's Research Career Award.

From 1972 to 1988, Ruth Ekstrom was a member of the Corporation (governing board) of Brown University.  She served as an officer of the Corporation from 1982 to 1988, the first woman to hold such a position.  She received an honorary LLD from Brown in 1988.

Ruth was president of the Bennington (VT) Historical Society from 1999 to 2001.  She was a member of the board of trustees at the Bennington Museum from 2000 to 2005.  In retirement, Ruth enjoyed reading and writing about New England history.  She had articles published in Vermont History and the Walloomsack Review.

Ruth Burt Ekstrom was born in Bennington, VY in 1931, the daughter of Ralph Amos Burt and Bertha Paisley Lambert Burt.  She received her Bachelor's degree from Brown University in 1953, a Master's degree from Boston University in 1956 and a Doctorate from Rutgers University in 1967.

She was the widow of Lincoln Ekstrom, a research chemist and environmental consultant, who she married in 1957.  He died in 2016.  Survivors include George Lambert of Belle Mead, NJ and several other cousins.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Pleasant Street, Bennington, VT 03201.