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Y! MyWebDayton Development Coalition hiring former WPAFB commander
Thursday, July 17, 2008
DAYTON — Col. Colleen M. Ryan, who just stepped down this week as installation commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, will have a new job this fall as a vice president of the Dayton Development Coalition.
The regional economic development organization said Thursday, July 17, that it has hired Ryan to complement the responsibilities of Joseph Zeis, who as the coalition's vice president of aerospace and defense is a key liaison to Wright-Patterson. Ryan joins the coalition on Nov. 1.
Wright-Patterson will gain about 1,100 jobs in aerospace medicine research, sensors research and other programs by September 2011 as a result of the nation's 2005 round of military base realignment and closure decisions.
Ryan will focus on helping recruit businesses to the Dayton region and traveling to other bases that are losing jobs to Wright-Patterson, to try and persuade civilian employees there to relocate to Wright-Patterson when their programs are moved, said Jim Leftwich, the coalition's chief operating officer. Historically in prior BRAC relocations, at least 80 percent of the civilian employees who had the option of moving to new bases chose not to do so, Air Force officials have said.
Ryan will become the seventh vice president at the nonprofit Dayton Development Coalition. It is supported by 275 members, including Miami Valley companies and local governments. The coalition did not disclose what Ryan's salary will be in her new job.
Ryan stepped down on Monday as commander of the 88th Air Base Wing, which operates the base. Her two-year term, typical for a stint as Wright-Patterson's base commander, ended when Col. Bradley D. Spacy was transferred from Scott Air Force Base, Ill., to succeed Ryan.
Ryan, 47, has already bought a house in Dayton's Oregon District, and has said she plans to take some time for travel. She officially retires from the Air Force on Oct. 1 to end a 26-year career.
The Dayton Development Coalition will complete a planned management transition on Monday, July 21, when John P. Nauseef steps down as president and chief executive officer to take a private-sector job helping companies with emerging technologies to find new business. Leftwich will succeed Nauseef as president and CEO.
"She's a tremendous advocate for this region," Leftwich said in a telephone interview Thursday. "The fact that she chose Dayton as her home says a lot."
In a statement released by the coalition, Ryan said she is pleased to join the organization.
Zeis, Leftwich and Nauseef are all former Air Force officers.
The coalition was active in representing the Dayton region during the 2005 BRAC discussions to lobby for protecting the jobs at Wright-Patterson and for bringing additional jobs there. Wright-Patterson is a key nerve center for the Air Force as the headquarters of the Air Force Materiel Command and weapons and aircraft acquisition, procurement and support programs. It is also home to the Air Force Research Laboratory, National Air & Space Intelligence Center and National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com
