Ryan is a poet, leader, and scholar. His book, ‘The War on Neighborhoods,’ was published by Beacon Press in 2018 and tracks the devastating impact of mass incarceration on one Chicago community area. Ryan received a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Chicago. He was selected as the Outstanding Young San Antonian of 2020 by the Rotary Club of San Antonio and in 2024 was named a “Hero for Children” by the Texas State Board of Education. Ryan currently serves as the Chief Impact Officer for the San Antonio Area Foundation. He was a founding board member of the Children’s Funding Project, a national organization focused on growing public investments in children and youth. He previously served as the CEO for UP Partnership, the executive director for Excel Beyond the Bell San Antonio and the co-executive director for YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Youth Safe and Violence Prevention department.
