After graduating from Loomis Chaffee, Ruthie earned her bachelor's degree in English and Visual Arts from Bowdoin College. She went on to earn her MBA in Entrepreneurship from Babson's Olin Graduate School of Business with the intention of someday forging an independent fashion label of her own. Davis honed her design and marketing skills by holding executive positions at Reebok, UGG Australia, and Tommy Hilfiger before launching RUTHIE DAVIS in 2006. The RUTHIE DAVIS brand is sold in top tier retail establishments worldwide.

In 2016, Davis received the FashInvest "Fashpreneur" Award and was also named "Fashion Footwear Designer of the Year" by Acquisitions International. She received Babson's "Entrepreneur Hall of Fame" award in 2015 and in 2014, Ruthie was the only footwear designer to be accepted into the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America). Additionally, Davis was named the 2014 "Footwear Designer of the Year" by AAFA (American Apparel & Footwear Association) at their annual American Image Awards. In 2013, Ruthie was distinguished as one of Goldman Sachs' "100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs," one of Footwear News' "20 Directional Design Stars" in 2013 and 2014, and in 2012 one of Vogue Italia's "Vogue Talents."

In addition to overseeing the operation of her company, Ruthie serves as a television fashion expert with regular spots on Bravo, E!, Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox News, CBS News, Yahoo Finance and NBC among others. She consistently dedicates time to mentoring emerging designers and entrepreneurs. Whether teaching a course at FIT, or lecturing at MIT's Sloan School of Business, her message is always clear, "Find your passion, work hard, live your dreams."​