Kelly C. Ruffel is the Director of the Department of Cultural & Historic Affairs for Passaic County.  She manages the county’s historic assets, by overseeing preservation grants, capital projects, cultural programming, and marketing for the See Passaic brand.  Ruffel is dedicated to preserving and promoting Passaic County’s cultural heritage through these efforts.  Previously, she was the Principal Historic Preservation Specialist for the City of Paterson, where she helped develop design guidelines, landmark designations, and regulatory reviews for historic districts.

Ruffel remains actively engaged in the preservation community, serving on numerous boards connected to historical societies, museum organizations, and preservation commissions.  She also serves as the contracted Executive Director of Preservation New Jersey.

A New Jersey native, she holds dual BAs in History and Anthropology and an MA in History from William Paterson University, with additional training in cemetery preservation.