Background
- Hometown: Wyckoff, New Jersey
- Undergraduate Degree: BS in Hospitality Management, The Culinary Institute of America
- Masters Degree: MS in Accountancy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Pre-MBA Job: Real Estate Portfolio Management Analyst, Nuveen, a TIAA Company
- MBA Graduation Date: May 2027
- Hobbies: Soccer, going to the gym, running/outdoors
- Fun Fact: Ryan has visited 21 countries!
- View Ryan’s Resume
Ryan grew up in Wyckoff, New Jersey, a small town in Bergen County. He also lived in Abu Dhabi for four years, where he attended all four years of high school at the American Community School. During high school, Ryan and a friend learned about social media marketing and entrepreneurship by starting a streetwear clothing company called “Cash Society”. This experience running a clothing brand sparked Ryan’s curiosity about consumer behavior—why people choose certain goods and services over others. To explore this interest further, he decided to take Higher Level Economics in high school to learn more about choice and scarcity.
Ryan began his undergraduate journey studying Marketing at a liberal arts university to understand how data could drive better marketing decisions and revenue growth. He completed two management consulting internships at Deloitte in Abu Dhabi. In one internship, he was assigned to a team helping a nonprofit foundation develop a monument honoring Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s founding father, next to the Emirates Palace Hotel called “The Constellation”. While working onsite at the Emirates Palace Hotel, Ryan became curious about the ownership, valuation, and annual earnings of hotels and resorts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This sparked his interest in hotel real estate and hospitality operations, prompting him to transfer to The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) as part of the inaugural Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management cohort.
Ryan’s goal was to work for a Lodging REIT to learn about acquiring and managing hotel real estate assets. He helped establish the Hospitality Management Club, serving as its first Treasurer and arranging guest speakers from Lodging REITs in exchange for one-on-one mentoring opportunities. Multiple guest speakers advised him to gain finance experience. Ryan not only took every available business course at CIA but also became head tutor for Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, and Corporate Finance. He interned at Nuveen, TIAA’s asset management arm, working with the Alternative Investments Distribution team and conducting research for client calls on various private credit and real estate funds. His strong performance earned him a six-week internship extension and a full-time offer in TIAA’s Financial Analysis & Accounting Associate rotational program upon graduation.
Ryan was one of only three students selected for TIAA’s Financial Analysis & Accounting Associate rotational program. He completed three 8-month rotations across the Office of the CFO, working with the Investment Reporting & Oversight team, FP&A Enterprise Planning team, and the Nuveen Real Estate Investment Accounting team for the CASA Fund series. The CASA Fund series, a flagship closed-end real estate private equity value-add platform comprising 8 active funds out of 14 total as of April 2025, has invested in garden-style apartments across the U.S. since Q4 1993 using a workforce housing strategy through tax-exempt bond financing. Throughout working full-time during the rotational program at TIAA, Ryan also earned his online Master of Science of Accountancy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
After completing the rotational program, Ryan continued with the CASA Fund team as a Portfolio Management Analyst. He managed all investor reporting, including 30-day letters, quarterly and annual reports, investor distribution forecasts, and annual meeting presentations totaling over 400 slides yearly. Ryan collaborated closely with the Investment Accounting team, Asset Management, and Transactions during the investor reporting process to gather necessary data and meet critical deadlines. He also conducted ad-hoc financial modeling analysis, including Hold/Sell Analysis to determine the impact on a fund’s time-weighted returns when selling assets for new acquisitions.
MBA Experience & Career Goals
Ryan decided to pursue an MBA to gain the necessary skills to become a future real estate investment leader. Having worked in various finance roles at TIAA and real estate roles at Nuveen, he has developed a multitude of skills to make an impact at any firm. Ryan chose the Wisconsin School of Business because of its specialized program. The Corporate Finance & Investment Banking specialization has its own Knowledge Center called the Nicholas Center, with an Advisory Board composed of alumni and successful finance professionals eager to help CFIB students succeed in their careers. From the start, CFIB students have opportunities to build their network and learn from others who were once in their shoes. The Wisconsin School of Business is renowned for its exceptional real estate education and extensive alumni network in the industry, which Ryan looks forward to leveraging through the MBA program’s comprehensive real estate electives.
Ryan’s short-term career objectives include expanding his professional network with real estate investment professionals. His immediate goal is to transition into a real estate acquisitions role where he can develop expertise in underwriting and financial modeling for potential property investments. Ryan finds the acquisitions process particularly compelling because it requires rigorous financial analysis and strategic evaluation of investment opportunities, building upon the analytical foundation he established in his previous roles as a Real Estate Portfolio Management Analyst and Real Estate Investment Accountant at Nuveen.
He values the detailed nature of underwriting work, where each deal presents unique challenges requiring careful assessment of market conditions, cash flow projections, and risk factors. Ryan believes that mastering the technical skills of underwriting and transaction modeling is essential before advancing to senior investment roles where he will make critical capital allocation decisions. His long-term vision is to become an exceptional real estate investment professional by first developing deep expertise in acquisitions and underwriting, which will provide the foundation needed to eventually lead investment teams and guide strategic decision-making for real estate portfolios.
Hobbies & Passions
Ryan is an avid soccer fan who has been playing the sport since age five. He served as captain of his high school JV team, earning MVP honors and leading the team in scoring for the season. He also captained the CIA soccer team, where he again won MVP and was selected for the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) 2019 All-Conference Team.
Ryan spends his time outside of school and work going to the gym and long walks. Ryan recently picked up running and enjoys going for runs outdoors whenever he can.
Follow Ryan’s career journey on LinkedIn!
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