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President Ryan's Biography

Dr. Ryan is the fifth President of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), having assumed the presidency on November 1, 2001. A 1977 graduate of the CIA, Chef Ryan is the first alumnus and first faculty member to rise through the ranks to President.

Prior to becoming college president, Dr. Ryan was the CIA's Executive Vice President. His responsibilities in this role included supervision of all of the college's degree programs and continuing education, the CIA's intellectual properties, a 72,000-volume library, food and beverage operations, career services, and institutional research.

President Ryan has been instrumental in generating the sustained growth, innovation, and quality improvements that have shaped the CIA. After working as a chef in the restaurant industry, he returned to his alma mater in 1982 to serve on the faculty. As part of the team that developed the CIA's American Bounty Restaurant, Dr. Ryan was a leader in the American cuisine movement. Under his direction, the college launched several new programs, including the world's first bachelor's degree programs in culinary arts management and baking and pastry arts management; developed a highly successful publishing program; fashioned award-winning videos and television shows; dramatically expanded the college's continuing education programs; and strengthened an already gifted faculty.

A native of Pittsburgh, Dr. Ryan holds the distinction of being the youngest national president of the America Culinary Federation (ACF) and, at the time, the youngest chef ever to achieve Certified Master Chef (C.M.C.) status from that organization. He also served as ACF vice president and chairman and is a former chairman of the editorial council for their publication, The National Culinary Review. President Ryan was named the ACF's 1998 Chef of the Year and is one of five Americans ever to receive the Presidential Medal from the World Association of Cooks Societies. He also captained the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team to a world championship.

Tim Ryan earned his doctorate degree in education from The University of Pennsylvania and bachelor's and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees from the University of New Haven.

CIA President Tim Ryan: Career Snapshot

• 1977 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Tim Ryan, 47, is the first alumnus and the first faculty member to rise through the ranks to become the college's fifth President
• After working as a chef in the restaurant industry, President Ryan returned to CIA in 1982. Dr. Ryan has been instrumental in strengthening and enhancing the college by:
  
  • Launching the world's first bachelor's degree programs in Culinary Arts Management and Baking and Pastry Arts Management;
  • Developing a highly successful publishing program;
  • Fashioning award-winning videos and television shows;
  • Expanding the college's continuing education programs;
  • Developing the American Bounty Restaurant; and
  • Strengthening an already gifted faculty roster
• Dr. Ryan holds the distinction of being the youngest national president of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), elected at age 36
• At age 26, Tim Ryan became the youngest person ever to earn Certified Master Chef (C.M.C.) status from the ACF
• President Ryan has served as ACF vice president and chairman, and is a former chairman of the editorial council for the ACF's publication, The National Culinary Review
• Tim Ryan was named the ACF's Chef of the Year and is one of five Americans ever to receive the Presidential Medal from the World Association of Cooks Societies, in 1998
• Dr. Ryan has won numerous Gold Medals in international competitions throughout his career, including four Gold Medals and the World Championship at the 1984 and 1988 Culinary Olympics in Germany
• President Ryan has produced a host of successful culinary books which are all James Beard Award nominees, including The New Professional Chef, Techniques of Healthy Cooking, and An American Bounty
• A native of Pittsburgh, Dr. Ryan earned his doctorate degree in education from The University of Pennsylvania and bachelor's and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees from the University of New Haven