Diamond Exits Ruth's List Florida as CEO Search Begins
Christina Diamond will leave her post as chief executive of Ruth's List Florida, which has started recruiting her successor.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in People
Christina Diamond is departing as chief executive of Ruth's List Florida, remaining in the role through November 20, 2026. The organization's Board of Directors has begun recruiting a successor, and Diamond will take a new post as Vice President of Government and Community Health Affairs at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
Why it matters
Diamond's departure opens leadership at a state-level organization that endorsed 74 candidates in the 2025-26 election cycle, 79% of whom won their races. The transition affects how Ruth's List Florida recruits and supports Democratic women candidates across Florida.
Ruth's List Florida endorsed 74 candidates in the 2025-26 election cycle, and 79% of them won their races. The source does not provide prior-cycle comparisons or the total pool of candidates the organization considered.
The players
Christina Diamond
Christina Diamond is the chief executive of Ruth's List Florida, who led the organization for nearly four years and is moving to a hospital leadership role in St. Petersburg.
Ruth's List Florida
Ruth's List Florida is a Florida-based political organization founded in 2008 by Alex Sink that endorses and supports Democratic women candidates.
Alex Sink
Alex Sink is a former Florida Chief Financial Officer and Democratic politician who founded Ruth's List Florida in 2008.
The details
Diamond arrived as interim CEO in February 2023, succeeding Lucy Sedgwick, and the Board made her appointment permanent in June 2023. Staff and Board leaders will oversee work that previously fell to Diamond during the transition, and applications for the CEO position are available through the organization's CEO search page.
Timeline
February 2023: Diamond became interim CEO of Ruth's List Florida.
June 2023: The Board made Diamond's CEO appointment permanent.
November 20, 2026: Diamond's final day as CEO before departure.
Leadership Pipeline
Ruth's List Florida's 2025-26 record of 74 endorsements with a 79% win rate sets the benchmark that a new CEO will inherit as the organization searches for a successor. The Florida affiliate's leadership change follows the pattern of interim-to-permanent CEO transitions Diamond herself experienced in 2023.
Florida residents who follow state Democratic politics may see changes in how Ruth's List Florida selects and supports women candidates once a new CEO takes over. The transition period runs until Diamond's final day on November 20, 2026, with staff and Board leaders handling her duties in the interim.
The takeaway
Organizations that rely on a single leader for institutional knowledge benefit from planning successions early, as Ruth's List Florida has done by opening its search before Diamond's departure. Readers tracking state political organizations can watch the CEO appointment as an indicator of the group's direction.
What happens next
Ruth's List Florida's Board of Directors is recruiting a successor before Diamond's final day as CEO on November 20, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more People coverage in Florida for other leadership changes across the state.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
