A college internship with the City of Eugene dropped Ryan into a project to design and restore agricultural land back to native wetland prairie ecosystems. This experience turned into his passion for natural resource planning and design which he enjoys in his daily work with Otak. "I find that problem solving gives me great satisfaction," Ryan says and his skills at fostering collaboration and creativity among his project teams helps ensure speedy resolutions. Ryan has volunteered with Depave, working to remove impervious surfaces from the Portland metro area to encourage better water absorption. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.