Joining St. Lawrence University in June 2013 after working for six years as Chief of Staff to the President at SUNY Canton and one year as Government Relations and Communications Coordinator at SUNY Potsdam, Ryan brings with him higher education experience in media relations as well as in government relations, international programs, and extended education. Prior to working in higher education, Ryan spent six years as a newspaper reporter and editor at the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y. He has been involved in many local civic and economic development organizations and currently serves as president of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors.

Ryan is a Ph.D. Candidate (A.B.D.) at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, focusing on international and cultural studies in education. He graduated in 2000 from Kent State University in Ohio with a master's degree in history and earned his bachelor's degree from Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina.