For Bill (’68, DCS-Hon. ’11) and Ruth Ann Harnisch (LHD-Hon. ’11), investing in the
next generation of storytellers is a way to change the world for the better.
Thanks to Bill’s success in the financial industry—his company, Peconic Partners, LLC, was named the top-performing hedge fund for the last three years—the couple has long been active in social philanthropy. As a former journalist, Ruth Ann sees it as one way to solve many of the world’s problems, while Bill’s financial struggles growing up inclines him to give back.
But in recent years, they’ve found a new vehicle for their philanthropy. Ruth Ann began producing movies in the 1980s as a way to help a friend and has since produced more than 200 films.
“I came along [in 2015] when I saw what Ruth Ann was doing with film production and the impact she was having with social change,” Bill says. “It was a form of philanthropy that had so much bang for the philanthropic buck.”
While the couple has produced narrative features, they primarily focus on documentaries. “We have a suite of documentaries on gender equity, reproductive rights and maternal health, trans rights, and gay rights,” Ruth Ann says. “In telling a story, we hope to open minds and change them.”
Bill and Ruth Ann’s work as producers goes beyond funding and promoting films. The couple has also contributed to impact campaigns for documentaries such as The Hunting Ground and Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, creating discussion guides and organizing panel talks that provoke a deeper conversation around the films’ themes.
Their most recent films have received critical acclaim. Another Body explores the complicated world of deepfakes, while Confessions of a Good Samaritan follows a filmmaker’s decision to donate her kidney to a stranger. Both movies received top honors at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. Joonam, a documentary they produced, was in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Bill and Ruth Ann’s philanthropy also extends to Baruch, where they’ve funded scholarships and programs. “We treasure our relationship with Baruch, and we continue to be grateful for all that the institution has meant to us,” Ruth Ann says.
Bill has also served on the Baruch College Fund’s Investment Committee for over 15 years, which he describes as a very rewarding experience. “If it wasn’t for Baruch, I don’t think I would be where I am,” Bill adds. “I took advantage of a great opportunity and was able to make something of it.”
—Molly Turner