Ryan J. Davis is the Manager for Outreach for the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program—a $1.6 billion dollar initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation designed to provide comprehensive financial, academic, and social support to high achieving low-income students of color to and through undergraduate and graduate school. Ryan leads outreach efforts to increase the number of GMS applications from eligible students and manages the evaluation process of African American applications. Ryan also manages the GMS male initiative aimed at increasing college knowledge in general and preparation for the GMS application in particular among males of color.

In addition to his work with preparing students for college, Ryan remains actively engaged in the production of scholarly research. His work has enhanced public knowledge about the factors that influence access to and success in higher education for underrepresented students. He co-authored the monograph, “College Access and Success among Racial Ethnic Minorities in STEM,” in press at Jossey-Bass. Ryan’s scholarship also has been published in numerous top-tier education journals and other academic spaces, including the Journal of College Student Development, Journal of College Student Retention, Journal of Negro Education, and the Negro Educational Review. His research has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. Best known for his work on underrepresented male students of color, Ryan and his colleagues were awarded the “Outstanding Research Award” by the American College Personal Association’s Standing Committee for Men.

A recipient of numerous accolades, such as 93.9 WKYS’ “Top 30 Under 30” in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, Ryan is a dynamic leader and speaker in the communities with which he is affiliated. He was named a Graduate Fellow at the Institute for Higher Education Policy, a Fellow at the Association for the Study of Higher Education’s Institute for Critical Policy Research, a “TRIO Achiever” by the Connecticut Association for Educational Opportunity Programs, and is a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Ryan holds a Master of Science degree in Education from Old Dominion University where he was awarded the “Outstanding Graduate Student in Higher Education Award” and the “Emerging Professional Award” and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Eastern Connecticut State University where he was bestowed with the “Dr. Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Award.”

Updated: 2011-08-09 00:00:00