She has a broad interest in the role of cultural preservation and education as tools for post-conflict community building. For the past five years, she has researched and published on peacebuilding in Rwanda. Dr. Ryan also co-authored the funding proposal for Rwanda’s first social science master’s program, in gender studies (via the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation). Dr. Ryan received her M.A. in Interpersonal Communication, Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, and Ph.D. in Rhetorical Criticism from Ohio University. She has taught at four U.S. campuses and in Belarus and Rwanda.