44: A Growth Story with Ryan Rucker

Any of us can find our way to data. So many of the guests on this show have accidentally fallen into data, and the diversity of backgrounds, academic disciplines and skillsets add strength to the data community. It's truly the difference between the mindset of I can learn anything given time and support vs. I'm not a numbers person.

Ryan Rucker is an example of someone who accidentally found her way into data - and now she's helping bring an extraordinary non-profit forward in how it uses its data to achieve its' mission. Come listen along as she talks about the changes she's making, the challenges she's struggling with, and the innovative solution that she's applying in her organization using "data envoys" to continue data conversations outside her data team and build a bridge. See the article she references that inspired her idea here: Using Data Storytelling to Disrupt White Supremacy Culture | by Lydia Hooper | Nightingale | Medium

Ryan Rucker serves as the Director of Data and Evaluation at The Literacy Lab, an organization that believes that literacy is a human right and that all children deserve to learn how to read. She supports the organization through data analysis, program evaluation, and creating spaces for even the most data-averse individuals to engage with data and collaborate with peers. After over a decade working with different education nonprofits, she has found her passion through increasing and improving opportunities for students, data storytelling with an equitable lens, and elevating the experience of folks, particularly folks of color, who work within the nonprofit sector. She received her undergraduate and Master of Human Relations degrees from the University of Oklahoma and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in Leadership and Learning in Organizations at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.