Ryan is a Philanthropy Officer with the University of Maine Foundation; he received his bachelor’s degree in Communications at the University of Southern Maine and his master's in Conflict Resolution at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. As a Philanthropy Officer, he focuses primarily on the Graduate and Undergraduate Schools of Business. He is a first-generation college student and extremely thankful for the opportunities that higher education has given him. Before coming to the University of Maine, he worked at the University of New England as the associate director of annual giving, a position he held for eight years. In addition, Ryan also serves on the Board of Veterans Count, a division of Easterseals.