Ryan is the Founder and CEO of CodeNow. Driven by a passion for technology and social activism, he launched the non-profit in early 2011. He believes it essential to lower barriers normally associated with technology, and in giving students exposure to programming at an early age.Earlier this year, CodeNow was selected to be part of the first batch of non-profits for the accelerator YCombinator.

Ryan's diverse background in community organizing, politics, and technology has allowed him to create forward-thinking strategies for the organization. In 2008 Ryan founded the San Francisco Chapter of Generation Obama, an organization focused on youth outreach during the Presidential Election. The experience opened him up to the importance of being more socially conscious and led to him to join the White House Office of Presidential Personnel as an Associate on an interim basis. Previously Ryan worked for a non-profit overseeing online technology, communications, and branding. He also worked as a consultant in product development where he provided user interface & design strategies.

Ryan holds a BA in Communications with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Southern California. While pursuing his degree, he launched Symbolic Entertainment, an award winning Production Company that produced music videos for up and coming bands. Through this endeavor he produced the feature film “The Beat” which was selected to the Sundance Film Festival in 2003.