Roanoke College welcomes new executive director for administration and chief of staff

Roanoke College is pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan King, Ph.D., as executive director for administration and chief of staff in the President’s Office. King’s first day will be Monday, Aug. 4.

King joins Roanoke College from Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where he has served as innovation manager and an assistant professor of medicine, respectively. 

At Roanoke College, King will be responsible for the administration, activities, communications and strategic initiatives of the President’s Office. He will assist in the development and implementation of projects that advance the college and play a key role in supporting the work of the board of trustees.

King’s career so far has been driven by his passion for influencing transformative change through innovation. King has more than 10 years of experience in innovation, research and development, and he has provided leadership to multi-disciplinary teams charged with developing and implementing new solutions. As Roanoke College advances the imperatives of its innovation-focused strategic plan, “Imagine Roanoke,” the addition of a specialist like King marks an exciting step forward.  

“Ryan brings a proven track record of building strategic partnerships and advancing innovation across our region, along with a deep belief in the power of higher education to strengthen communities, support families and transform individual lives,” said Roanoke College President Frank Shushok Jr.  “His relational disposition, expertise in project management, superb writing and administrative acumen make him an ideal partner for this pivotal moment in Roanoke College’s history.”

King earned a Ph.D. in translational biology, medicine and health at Virginia Tech and a B.S. in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Prior to joining Carilion Clinic, King held positions at the Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio; The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke, Virginia; and UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. King is an author of more than 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts in journals including Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation Research, The American Journal of Physiology, and eLife. He is a named inventor on one issued and five pending U.S. patents. 

King brings extensive experience with board governance and strategic advising, previously serving as a graduate student representative on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, the COSI: Center of Science and Industry’s Emerging Leaders KINETIC board, and the American Physiological Society’s science policy board. King continues to serve on various boards including as a member of the Training and Career Opportunities subcommittee for the Federation of the American Societies of Biology (FASEB) and the RAMP: Regional Accelerator and Mentor Program advisory board for the Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance (RBIA). Additionally, King’s writing on local and regional policy issues have been featured on RadioIQ and in The Roanoke Times, The Columbus Dispatch and Cardinal News.   

“I am not a native of the Roanoke Valley, but it is my home,” King said. “Over the past decade, I have come to love this region more than anywhere else in the world, so I was naturally attracted by the commitment Roanoke College has made to being an embedded partner in the Roanoke Valley. I believe President Shushok sums it up best in his introduction to Imagine Roanoke: ‘Imagine… the palpable energy of a dynamic learning laboratory where every corner of the College is connected to and in service to the Roanoke Valley.’ I could not be more excited to join Roanoke College at this pivotal time in history and I look forward to the opportunities to grow into Roanoke College as the college continues to grow into the community.”

King and his wife, Danielle, live in Roanoke with their two young children, Evelyn (5) and Everett (3).