2025 40 Under 40 Winners

Ryan played a key leadership role in Riverside's first comprehensive campaign in support of Neurosciences, helping the Foundation raise $11M in under three years - successfully reaching its goal ahead of schedule. He designed and led a strategic employee giving campaign focused on donor upgrades and acquisition, resulting in a historic number of employees and providers contributing at the $1,000+ level. 

At CHKD, Ryan led strategic updates to the hospital’s Giving Day, incorporating a print mailing strategy that resulted in a 92.9 percent increase in dollars raised compared to the previous year. 

He serves as a certified crisis counselor for a national nonprofit focused on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth, providing one-on-one support with empathy and compassion. 

Opportunity knocked! I got my start in philanthropy through a job on my alma mater’s annual giving team. I loved seeing how strategy, analytics, and relationships worked together to make fundraising meaningful for both the organization and the donor. A few years later, an opportunity opened on a growing fundraising team at a health system. Through that job I pivoted to healthcare philanthropy, and I’ve loved it since!

My “why” became clearest when I joined the philanthropy team at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. “Healthcare” is complex – part human right, part economic and political issue. But to a scared child in the ER, a teen in crisis, all of us as individuals and families – it’s a journey. If I can help make that journey a little easier or more comforting, while also celebrating gratitude along the way – what more could I ask for in a career?

In 2022, my mom completed treatment for breast cancer. Because of COVID protocols, we couldn’t be with her when she rang the celebratory bell, but her care team filmed it for us. One of the first things she did after ringing the bell was to look at the care team around her and say, “Thank you.” That moment reaffirmed for me just how powerful gratitude is – and how deeply it’s woven into healing. Gratitude is truly a vital part of life, and I want to do work that creates opportunities to celebrate and honor that.

Honoring the dignity and worth of every person. We only get one go-round in this life, and I believe we’re called to protect each other, lift each other up, and celebrate what connects us. Personally, that means fiercely advocating for the LGBTQ+ community – to ensure everyone can live, love, and thrive without fear. At its core, philanthropy is about recognizing another’s need and choosing to respond with compassion. I try to live that out every day for my husband, family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

Never forget that it’s an honor to do this work. I first heard that from a mentor, and it’s stuck with me. When the workload feels overwhelming or the pace intense, I repeat that mantra to myself: “it’s an honor to do this work.” We’re not just raising dollars – we’re helping make what is likely a family’s hardest, scariest days a little easier. That perspective keeps me grounded and proud to do what I do.