Professor Deborah Ryan has been named one of The Mecklenburg Times 50 Most Influential Women for 2019. The annual awards celebrate the most influential women in business, government, education, law and non-profits in the Charlotte area.
Ryan is a professor of architecture and urban design and the director of the Master of Urban Design program at UNC Charlotte. A registered landscape architect, her professional projects have won eight design awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Institute of Architects, and the Centralina Council of Governments, and an international prize for campus planning.
Professor Ryan’s community work includes serving as chair of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission and as a member of both Planning and Zoning Committees, a member of Charlotte’s Historic District Commission, chair of the Public Art Commission, and as a member of the boards of directors for the Arts & Science Council, Leadership Charlotte, and University City Partners.
A celebration gala and dinner for the honorees will take place at the Charlotte Hilton Center City on Friday, April 26, and a special section with profiles of each honoree will be published in The Mecklenburg Times that day.