Ruth Shapiro, the director of the CIDA Prairies Regional Office joined CIDA in 1983, serving first as the director of the Public Participation Program, followed by 4 years in Tanzania as counsellor of development with the Canadian High Commission. Upon her return from Tanzania, Shapiro took on the position of director, Anglophone NGOs in the Canadian Partnership Branch. She took a leave of absence from CIDA between 1997 and 2001 to work at the University of Calgary as the director of International Marketing and Recruitment. Before joining CIDA she worked at the University of Alberta as the director of Student Affairs and International Student Advisor. Most of her career has involved working within a development context particularly in areas related to gender, NGOs, community development and participation and education.