Ryan is the President & CEO of The Ruskin Group, a fourth-generation family packaging company – founded in 1893, recognized as a world leader in sustainability and e-commerce packaging, and the first packaging company to be certified as an LGBT-owned business enterprise. In its plastics division, The Ruskin Group recently launched a suite of revolutionary products, including ECLIPSE which makes most plastic products truly biodegradable, leaving nothing behind. In 2015, Ryan assumed the role of non-executive chairman of MyEco, a sustainability education business he helped found that uses technology and innovative products to help consumers break disposable habits through education, positive reinforcement, social engagement and financial incentives. Previously, he was a management consultant with A.T. Kearney.
Ryan currently serves on the boards of: Field Museum, Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago Humanities Festival, Heartland Alliance, Duke of Edinburgh Award, and Shady Side Academy. Ryan is a member of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council of Princeton University, the immediate past president of The Wayfarer’s Club, and the second vice-chair of the Economic Club of Chicago.
Ryan earned a B.A. in History and American Studies from Princeton University, an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and an M.E.M. from its McCormick School of Engineering. He is a member of the 2012 class of the Emerging Leaders Program of Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Young Presidents’ Organization, and Chief Executives Organization. Ryan has been active in local and national politics since college, most recently serving as a Transition Co-Chair for Illinois Governor-elect Bruce Rauner in 2014. In 2015, Ryan was appointed and confirmed as a member of the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission. Ryan is a 2013 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.