Ryan works with corrections departments, juvenile justice agencies, and faith- and community-based organizations to support them in adopting family-focused and strength-based approaches to their work. Ryan has 10 years of experience in the field of juvenile and criminal justice. Before joining Vera’s Family Justice Program, she was a project director at Family Justice, where she helped develop tools that allow staff at juvenile justice agencies and community-based organizations to learn about the social support of youth and their families. Ryan has worked in juvenile justice systems in Queens, New York, and Philadelphia. She holds a master of arts from the University of Maryland’s Department of Women’s Studies, where she is working toward a doctorate.