MEDIA ADVISORY
The Commonwealth Club of California
110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105
commonwealthclub.org
CONTACT: John Zipperer, Vice President, Media & Editorial
415-597-6715, jzipperer@commonwealthclub.org
Martha Ryan Named Commonwealth Club Board Chair
Nation’s Premier Public Affairs Forum Appoints New Board Leader
(February 14, 2022 – SAN FRANCISCO) — The Commonwealth Club of California has named Martha Ryan, co-founder of software company Daric, Inc., to lead its Board of Governors. As Club chair for the next two years, Ryan succeeds businesswoman and independent board member Evelyn Dilsaver. KQED President Emeritus John Boland has been named as the Club’s Board vice chair.
“Serving as the chairman of the Board of Governors of this extraordinary organization that is filled with rich history is truly one of the greatest honors in a lifetime,” said Martha Ryan.
Club President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy said, “The Commonwealth Club is so fortunate that Martha Ryan is serving as our chair for 2022 and 2023. Particularly in this challenging time, Martha’s dedication to public education and dialogue, and her strong spirit rallying the community around these values, is an incredible strength for our organization and the cause of public understanding and progress.”
For the past two years, Martha Ryan was co-chair of the Club's annual gala, its major fundraising event. Ryan co-founded a highly successful software company, Daric, Inc., that sells state-of-the-art software to financial institutions, hedge funds and private equity. Martha served for 13 years as a trustee of the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) and was appointed to this position by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She also served as president of the CSSSA Foundation.
Previously, Ryan served as chair of The Lincoln Club of Northern California, and was the first female in the state of California to chair a major political group. She has served several times on the board of the San Francisco chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) and received the ARCS Light Award, which is given to the member who has made the most impact. She currently serves on the Madison Council, which supports the Library of Congress.
Martha Ryan has helped to raise funds for College Track, founded by Laurene Powell Jobs. In 2005, Martha was appointed the honorary director to the ambassador to the United States for the World’s Fair in Aichi, Japan. She has also hosted and chaired numerous fundraising events for community initiatives, including building the new Stanford Hospital and supporting the Menlo School in Atherton and the Hillsborough Schools.
Ryan grew up in Piedmont, California and received her degree in communications and public policy from UC Berkeley. She is married to Gregory Ryan, has two adult children, Greg Jr. and Christina—and a Golden Retriever, Mazey.
About The Commonwealth Club
The Commonwealth Club of California is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public forum that hosts about 500 programs a year featuring speakers on a wide variety of topics and from a broad range of views. In addition to its live programs, it produces a weekly radio program—the nation’s oldest—that airs on 230 stations nationwide, a weekly TV program that airs in the Bay Area, and hundreds of podcasts and videos a year. Founded in 1903, The Commonwealth Club is the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum. For more information, visit commonwealthclub.org.
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The Commonwealth Club of California | 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105 | commonwealthclub.org
