Friday, June 20, 2008

About Ryan

Ryan McMaken is a public affairs professional with ten years of experience in lobbying, media relations, event planning, public relations, and economic analysis. Ryan is presently the spokesman and economist at the Colorado Division of Housing.

In 2000, Ryan became the lobbyist for the Colorado Student Association where he wrote amendments, authored legislation, and provided research and testimony for a variety of higher education bills. During the 2003 legislative session, Ryan authored House Bill 1175 which prohibited colleges from using a student's social security number as a student identification number. The bill was signed into law later that year.

As Community Relations Director for the Colorado Division of Housing, Ryan organized the Colorado Blue Ribbon Panel on Housing, bringing together representatives from the banking, housing, real estate, construction, and local government sectors to address housing issues in the state. For the first time since 1988, private sector groups like the Colorado Realtors Association and the Colorado Mortgage Lenders Association met with local government and affordable housing groups to consider housing policy on a statewide level.

Since 2006, Ryan has directed the marketing and public affairs agenda for the Colorado Foreclosure Hotline, the first statewide foreclosure hotline in the nation, and the most successful. Since its inception, Ryan has facilitated coverage of the hotline in USA Today, The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, and countless local television, radio, and print outlets. Ryan has also fostered partnerships between the hotline, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and numerous national lenders such as Wells Fargo and US Bank.

As spokesman for the Division, Ryan has been featured on 9News, KOA Radio 850, La Buena Onda 1150 AM, and local radio in Greeley, Aspen, and Grand Junction.

Ryan has organized numerous call-in "Mortgage Line 9" events with 9News in Denver and with KOAA TV in Colorado springs.

Ryan places numerous articles quarterly with the business media throughout Colorado to publicize quarterly and annual reports on the housing industry in Colorado. Since Ryan joined the staff, Division of Housing staff members are now regularly featured as housing experts in The Rocky Mountain News, the Denver Post, The Denver Business Journal, The Northern Colorado Business Report, The Fort Collins Coloradoan, the Greeley Tribune, The Colorado Springs Gazette, The Pueblo Chieftain, and The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Positive press coverage of the Division is up about 1200 percent since 2004.

Ryan directs government relations for the Division, monitoring legislation that affects the Division, and offering amendments to pending legislation when necessary. Most recently, Ryan represented the Division in legislative conflicts over energy efficiency standards, tenant-landlord relations, and regulation of the mortgage industry regarding foreclosures.

Ryan has headed event planning as the Division has recently co-hosted over a dozen town hall meetings and public forums with Colorado state legislators and members of Colorado's Congressional delegation.

Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado at Denver. Ryan has also studied public affairs extensively while at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs and at the University of Colorado’s Graduate School of Public Affairs.

Ryan is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Social Sciences Department at Arapahoe Community College where he teaches Introduction to Political Science and American Politics.