LTC Kelly Ryan, USA

 Lieutenant Colonel Kelly Ryan is an active duty Operations Research Systems Analyst with a basic branch of Adjutant General Corps. LTC Ryan currently serves as the Operations Analysis Division Chief and Chief Data Scientist at the Center for Army Analysis. Leading agile teams, her division uses data science techniques, programming, computer models, and simulations to rapidly develop solutions to complex problems for the United States Army and Department of Defense. She is a proven analyst and leader with five years of applied artificial intelligence/machine learning experience and 13 years of experience with Headquarters Department of the Army policies and the planning, programing, budget, and execution process. 

Kelly graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She also has a Master of Business Administration from Cameron University and a Master of Science in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. She is a certified Scrum Master through Scrum Inc. and forecaster from the International Institute of Forecasters. 

LTC Ryan’s career is notable for the variety and influence of her responsibilities. She originated and coordinated the plan to reduce the size of the Army officer corps by a congressionally mandated 25% over an unprecedented short timeframe of 4 years. During her second deployment to Iraq, LTC Ryan conducted numerous intelligence, strike, and logistic studies for the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve Commanding General and the Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq team to support the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service in the fight to regain Mosul. LTC Ryan was at the forefront and the driving force in creating and developing the Army Artificial Intelligence Task Force (AITF) in direct coordination with the Under Secretary of the Army. As the senior data scientist for the AITF Intelligence portfolio, her team was first to produce a minimal viable product and first to operationalize it. 

Selected as a Training with Industry Fellow at Maxar, LTC Ryan had the privilege to work with industry data scientists in the field of computer vision and satellite imagery. In addition to this fellowship, Kelly was also selected for a competitive 6-week Strategic Broadening Seminar Program to the United Kingdom’s Defense Academy’s Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land) in Shrivenham, England. This experience offered a unique opportunity to enhance her strategic thinking and critically analyze command issues from an allied perspective. 

Kelly is most proud of being a wife and mom to two energetic young sons.