Biography
Ryan Ward is a Program Associate for the Center for Native American Youth at The Aspen Institute. Ryan recently graduated from the University of Washington School of Law where he studied Federal Indian Law and was the Vice President of the Native American Law Students Association.
During law school, Ryan worked at the Oregon Supreme Court and then later at the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) in the DC office. While at NARF, Ryan worked on issues ranging from Indian water rights to fee-to-trust land transactions, as well as on the Tribal Supreme Court Project.
Prior to law school Ryan studied History, focusing on American Indian policy, at Willamette University where he was also the captain of the soccer team. While at Willamette, he volunteered at nearby Chemawa Indian School as a mentor/tutor to Native youth from all over the country.
Between his undergraduate studies and law school, Ryan worked as a reading instructor at an elementary school in Salem, Oregon and as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Hawaii. Ryan grew up in Oregon and is an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Tribe of Indians in Washington State.
