![Ryan Chreist](/alumni/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/people/ryanchreist_headshot_23.jpg?itok=SbMtcyuV)
Ryan oversees CU Boulder’s outreach efforts to engage more than 250,000 alumni worldwide through the Forever Buffs initiative, helping to build affinity and engagement, and finding ways to harness their pride and loyalty to create advocacy and involvement. He oversees a staff of 30 and leads all alumni operations, communications and events planning. Ryan has a long history of service to his undergraduate alma mater. Prior to joining the Alumni Association in 2013, he worked in the Office of Admission where he oversaw the recruitment of prospective students in the U.S. and internationally, the implementation and integration of IT systems used in admissions and processing of all undergraduate and graduate applications. He worked for the CU System offices from 2007 to 2010 as a member of the Student Information System implementation team and led the design team responsible for the new admission application, customer relationship management system and recruitment portal. Ryan was a 2012 recipient of the Alumni Association’s Robert L. Stearns Award, which recognizes members of the faculty and staff for extraordinary achievement in one or several of the following areas: teaching, service to the university, work with students, research or off-campus service. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver. His dedication to the community extends well beyond the university. Since 2002, he has served as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician with the Louisville Fire Protection District. Ryan spends what limited free time he has exploring the outdoors in Colorado and beyond with his wife Liz (an alum of CU) and their two kids, Sara and Tyler.