Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Tammy Ryan

Dr. Tammy Ryan (BAE ’83) is getting attention far and wide for her leadership in helping children to read and preparing teachers to improve literacy among K-12 students.

Ryan, an associate professor of reading education at Jacksonville University, was awarded the university’s 2015 Woman of the Year award for her outstanding contributions to the campus and the community, including running a reading lab to help improve the literacy of Duval County youngsters.

More recently, Ryan, established a 500-book library in Uvita, Costa Rica, a small village with few children’s books and no school libraries. Ryan, her three nieces and other volunteers rounded up Spanish and English books to establish the library at an after-school center for kindergarten-to-fifth-graders. They used mobile devices and apps to create a book inventory, provide library cards and set up an efficient checkout system.

Now Ryan is getting the word out to help others to establish similar libraries. Read more about her international work.

Go Dr. Ryan and go EduGators!