Dr. Rutherford received her doctorate in Folklore and Deaf Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, where in 1978
she had created the nation’s first university-level course on the language, history, and culture of Deaf people in America. She taught the course for twenty-five years, and her book, A Study of American Deaf Folklore, is a key text in the field. In addition, Dr. Rutherford helped create the American Sign Language Studies program at Vista College (CA).

Dr. Rutherford has been part of DEAF Media since 1977 and its Executive Director since 1981. She has produced or co-produced TV and video projects, including American Culture: The Deaf Perspective, produced for the National Endowment for the Humanities; and the Emmy Award-winning Rainbow’s End, produced for PBS. She has created groundbreaking and ongoing cultural programs, including Celebration: Deaf Artists and Performers, the Deaf Education and Arts Network (DEAN), and DEAF Media Docents.

To better serve both Deaf and hearing communities Dr. Rutherford has built partnerships with major cultural institutions in the Bay Area, including the Oakland Museum of California, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Library, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Dr. Rutherford has mentored Deaf artists in arts and nonprofit management. She has served on numerous advisory boards, including the National Park Service’s Folklore/Folklife Committee, the Berkeley Art Museum, the Arts Access Network, the World Institute on Disability, the Corporation on Disability in Telecommunication, and River of Words, and for such educational institutions as the University of California, San Francisco State University, Berkeley City College (formerly Vista College), and the California School for the Deaf, among others.