Urban trail access began as a young boy for Ryan Chao; growing up in Portland, Oregon, skiing, fishing, and cycling were a way of life. After architecture school, he mentored with a talented group of visionaries at the Bryant Park Revitalization Project, where he discovered his love for “people over buildings,” turning New York City’s most dangerous park into a global model for urban greenspace renewal.

In 2019, Ryan was elected president of the Rails To Trails Conservancy (RTC), where he oversees national leadership in trail development, policy advocacy, and movement building. Other positions as vice president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where he transformed neighborhoods, and developed affordable housing as director of the San Francisco Bay Satellite Housing, prepared Ryan for his current role.

Ryan and his team at RTC have raised over 20 billion dollars in federal funding, including 850 million in 2021 alone, more than doubling federal funding for walking and biking trails. Current projects include The Great American Rail-Trail, a 3,700-mile cross country route, 8 of 12 states along the route have introduced new trail segments since 2019.

Ryan and his RTC team have created Traillink.com, a free online trail access app—which became an essential resource for 10.5 million users in 2021. RTC’s mission is to create a nation where trails connect everyone, everywhere. We are excited to welcome this champion of environmental sustainability, community revitalization, and promoter of health and wellness to this episode of Intrinsic Drive®.

Intrinsic Drive® is produced by Ellen Strickler and Phil Wharton and Andrew Hollingworth is sound editor and engineer.

Reconnecting America with Rails To Trails President Ryan Chao