Retired Lt Col Ruggeri was born and raised in Beverly, Massachusetts. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She was employed as a Registered Nurse at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston for three years before deciding to join the Air Force. 
 

In June 1990, Lt Col Ruggeri received a direct commission into the Air Force and spent ten years as a medical-surgical and critical care nurse. She continued to pursue her studies and graduated magna cum laude from Hampton University, Virginia earning her Master's Degree in Nursing and certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2000. Lt Col Ruggeri continued her studies and graduated magna cum laude with a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2015. She is currently pursuing a career in functional medicine and will soon be opening her own practice, Synchronized Healthcare Services.

​

Lt Col Ruggeri has held a wide variety of supervisory and leadership positions at medical facilities in United States, England, and Korea. She was a Nurse Manager of Special Care Unit at Langley AFB, Virginia, Deputy Chief of Family Practice at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, Health Promotions Flight Commander at Osan AB, Korea, and Medical Operations Squadron Commander at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. Additionally, she has deployed to Croatia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Lt Col Ruggeri is married to Stephen A. Swallow formerly of Basildon, England.