Manchester Life Holiday/Winter 2025/2026 | Page 26

tives with local schools.“ There’ s always a way to build a successful organization if you’ re creative,” shares Ryan, reflecting on the inventive trades, partnerships, and negotiations that kept budgets lean while still delivering quality experiences.

That professional intensity eventually gave way to a new professional chapter for Ryan, where she spent more than a decade as a licensed massage therapist, building her own private practice in Miami. For eleven years, she worked one-on-one with clients, developing a different set of skills rooted in empathy, patience, and the art of listening.“ It was about creating trust and meaningful connections,” Ryan reflects.“ That personal aspect is something I’ ve carried into every role in my career since.”

When she relocated to Vermont in 2018, Ryan returned to hospitality, bringing her

accumulated expertise to Stratton Mountain Resort. She quickly made her mark as a Senior Events Coordinator, executing everything from weddings to large-scale corporate events, each requiring massive amounts of meticulously-planned oversight and personalization.“ My last season at Stratton, I executed 48 events,” says Ryan. The work demanded long hours and fastidious attention to detail. It also allowed her to channel her sales background towards creating expansive, lavish, and unforgettable experiences for her clients.

She continued this trajectory at the Kimpton Taconic in Manchester, where she balanced planning corporate functions and weddings. In the process, she built strong community partnerships with local vendors and colleagues— including MBA Executive Director John Burnham. At Taconic, Ryan also deepened her understanding of how

Manchester’ s hospitality and business sectors intersected. Ryan then stepped away from Taconic, devoting several years to supporting her husband, Timothy Ryan, in launching Pathways to Prevention, a nonprofit organization dedicated to substance misuse prevention education in schools. She built the operational foundation, managing payroll and administration while Timothy focused on curriculum and outreach.“ The first two years of any business, you’ re flying the plane while you’ re building it,” notes Ryan. That experience not only reinforced her ability to build systems from scratch, but also gave her insight into the realities faced by nonprofits and mission-driven enterprises.

All of these experiences, from international finance to nonprofits, private practice to hospitality, and grassroots operations to entrepreneurial startups, now converge in women’ s & men’ s consignment

Hours: Monday-Saturday10-5 & Sundayfrom11-4 802.367.1064 • zippychicks. com 4732MainStreet, Manchester, VT

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