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William “Nick” Ryan Named Chief of Staff for Geisel Dean’s Office

William “Nick” Ryan. Photo by Kurt Wehde

Today, Geisel School of Medicine Dean Duane Compton, PhD, announced that William “Nick” Ryan has been named the new Chief of Staff for the Dean’s Office. Ryan, currently the director of Accreditation and the Kern Program at Geisel, will start his new role on January 3, 2022.

In this important role, Ryan will provide oversight and support for key strategic and operational initiatives on behalf of the Dean’s Office and manage the administrative staff within the office. He will also work closely with our Geisel Board of Advisors, managing events and serving as the primary liaison between the Dean’s Office and the Advisors, as well as with the Offices of the President and Provost, other partners across Dartmouth, and Geisel’s affiliated health systems. Ryan will also oversee the human resources function for Geisel, providing important support for personnel, as well as helping lead searches for new institutional leadership positions.

“Nick’s experience in leading initiatives requiring extensive collaboration across all facets of the school, as well as his proven leadership in roles that involve extensive project management skills made him an ideal candidate for this position,” said Dean Compton.

Since joining Geisel in 2018, Nick has played a key role managing and coordinating the coaching program for our medical students, as well as our efforts as part of the Kern National Network for Caring and Character, a collaboration with six other medical schools dedicated to advancing caring and character in medicine with the goal of promoting human flourishing. In 2019, he took on the additional role as Director of Accreditation, providing administrative oversight and project management for Geisel’s LCME accreditation process.

Prior to joining Geisel, Ryan served for 11 years as an active duty Officer in the United States Army in leadership roles from the tactical to strategic level, deploying to various locations across central and south Asia. He continues to serve in the Army Reserves.

Ryan earned a BA in History from the University of Kansas in 2006. He also earned master’s degrees in Public Administration from Webster University and International Relations from Boston University. He lives in Quechee, VT, with his wife, Jami Powell, PhD, and two children, Grayson and Callum.