Office Hours
By Appointment
About Me
Jennifer Ryan joined the staff of the Government and Economic Development Institute at Auburn University Outreach as the communications manager in February of 2015. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in communication and public relations from Auburn University and has been working in the field since 1990. Jennifer started working with non-profit, education organizations in 1992, and served as the manager of marketing and occupational safety and health at the National Safety Council in Orlando, Florida, for over seven years, and as the CEO and executive director of the American Red Cross, East Alabama Chapter for nearly twelve years. Prior to joining GEDI in 2015, she was employed as the branch manager for Regions Bank in downtown Auburn for four years.
Jennifer has held leadership positions with the Public Relations Council of Alabama, The Society for Human Resource Management, The Downtown Auburn Merchants and Property Owners Association, and the United Way of Lee County. She has also served as a diplomat and board member for the Auburn Chamber of Commerce and an ambassador for the Opelika Chamber of Commerce. She is a published author, blogger and photo journalist, and served as a columnist for The Opelika-Auburn News for eight years. She was awarded The Spirit of Auburn Award by the Auburn Chamber of Commerce in 2004, an honor she shares with just 20 other people in history.
Jennifer's duties and responsibilities at GEDI include planning, developing, and managing educational events and courses, maintaining social media and websites, and producing marketing and promotional materials. She is originally from Mobile, Alabama. She currently lives in Opelika, Alabama with her husband Gerald, an Opelika native, and their rescued Golden Retriever. Their son, Austin, is a junior at Auburn University studying communications and visual media. She is an active volunteer for both human and animal rescue organizations.