Dr. Tim Ryan ’77 is chancellor of the Culinary Institute of America, serving as an advisor to the college’s president and leading special projects. Prior to this role, Dr. Ryan served as president of the college for 23 years—the longest-serving person in the college’s 75-year+ history. Dr. Ryan received bachelor’s and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees from the University of New Haven and earned his doctoral degree in education from The University of Pennsylvania.
In his more than three decades at the college, Dr. Ryan was instrumental in generating the sustained excellence, innovation, and growth that shaped the college. His leadership guided CIA to a position of prominence on such important matters as health and wellness, world flavors, food ethics, and sustainability.
He is well-known throughout the hospitality world and holds the distinction of being the youngest national president of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), elected at age 36, and the youngest chef (at the time) to receive Master Chef Certification from the ACF, at age 26. In 1998, he was named the ACF Chef of the Year. He has also served as ACF vice president, president, and chairman. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, is a Director of the National Restaurant Association, and is a board member of the Ment’or BKB Foundation.
Named “One of the 50 Most Powerful People in Food” four times by Nation’s Restaurant News, Dr. Ryan has received awards from virtually every food industry organization. He is especially proud of being one of five Americans ever to receive the Presidential Medal from the World Association of Chefs Societies and his induction into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America.
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Dr. Ryan was honored in 2019 as one of “The 50 Greatest Pittsburghers of All Time” by Pittsburgh Magazine, among world-renowned luminaries such as Jonas Salk, Andy Warhol, Fred Rogers, H.J. Heinz, Martha Graham, Roberto Clemente, and Andrew Carnegie.