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Tamra Ryan

Coors Economic Mobility Fellow

For media inquiries, please contact cinamon@csinstituteus.org

Tamra Ryan is the CEO of Women’s Bean Project, a social enterprise providing transitional employment in its food manufacturing business to women attempting to break the cycle of chronic unemployment and poverty. She serves as an Economic Mobility Fellow for Common Sense Institute Colorado.

Tamra is a former partner and board member for Social Venture Partners-Denver and Social Enterprise Alliance. Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO) recognized Tamra’s servant leadership and entered it into the Congressional Record of the 115th Congress, Second Session in May 2018. She was honored by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce as one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Colorado, and in 2022 as a Titan100 CEO and Social Entrepreneur of the year by the Colorado Institute for Social Impact. She was a presenter at TEDxMilehigh and is a highly sought-after speaker for topics such as compassionate leadership and social enterprise.

Tamra is the author of The Third Law, a book which highlights the societal obstacles and internal demons that must be overcome for marginalized women to change their lives. The Third Law has won eight awards for women/minorities in business and social activism. She is currently working on her second book, Followship: How to be a leader worth following.

Tamra received her undergraduate degree from University of Colorado Boulder and her Master of Arts and Sciences from Adelphi University. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, two teenage children and two goldendoodles.

 
Expert's Work
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Education
Unlocking Work: Impacts of Improving Access to Affordable Child Care

Licensed child care slots are lagging in Colorado. There are 2 licensed child care slots for every 3 children under 6 in a household where all parents are in the labor force, creating a deficit of 88,500 sl

Taxes & Fees
Colorado’s Expanded Tax Credits Targeting Lower Income Families

This report examines the expanded child-related tax credits in Colorado and how they impact poverty and incentives to work.

Workforce
Where are the Men?

This report explores the national decline in men’s labor force participation and compares Colorado men’s labor trends. While Colorado men participate in the labor force at higher rates than the national ave

January 17, 2024 Tamra RyanCole Anderson
Jobs & Our Economy
Examining Women’s Employment Trends in Colorado

Unlike men, women’s labor force participation rate has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. However, the same problems with childcare, household responsibility inequities, and a Motherhood Penalty persist.

September 28, 2023 Tamra Ryan
Jobs & Our Economy
Don’t let labor shortage hobble Colorado | GUEST COLUMN
The Denver Gazette

A recent study from CSI found the labor force shortage and skills mismatch in Colorado is costing $46 billion in additional annual GDP.

July 27, 2024 Tamra Ryan
Jobs & Our Economy
Can Colorado Avoid the Rising Male Unemployment Rates Across the US?
Colorado Biz

In terms of economic empowerment, it is a great time to be a woman in our country.

January 30, 2024 Tamra Ryan
Jobs & Our Economy
Tamra Ryan of the Common Sense Institute on Decline in Labor Participation
iHeart

We'll talk about her fascinating new study about the 50-year decline in the labor participation rate of men.

January 25, 2024 Tamra Ryan
Jobs & Our Economy
Is the She-Cession Over? Not for Many Women in the Workplace
Colorado Biz Magazine

Because the most affected industries tended to be those dominated by women, they lost their jobs at record levels in 2020.

November 03, 2023 Tamra Ryan