Dame Ruth Ellina Aitken DNZM (née Fathers; born 31 July 1956) is a New Zealand former international-level netball player and former head coach of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns. Aitken was born in 1956 in Paeroa. Her parents were Phil and Dorothy Fathers, who moved from Auckland to Paeroa after Aitken had children; that way she could continue with the travel required for her netball coaching career.