Ruby Payne, Ph. D., is an expert on the mindsets of economic classes and on crossing socioeconomic lines in education and work and for social change. Dr. Payne's work stems from more than 30 years of first-hand experience in public schools, as department head, principal, and central office administrator of staff development. She became known for helping students from all economic backgrounds achieve academic success. She presents a variety of workshops based on her books, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, and Bridges Out of Poverty, together with her strategies for successfully raising student achievement and negotiating economic class barriers.