Meet Ryan Shadrick Wilson.
Founder and CEO, Boardwalk Collective
Ryan Shadrick Wilson has often been referred to as “the good food whisperer” for the quiet yet significant role she has played in launching many of the innovative ideas and companies shaping the food revolution.
Today, Ryan wears several hats. She is the founder and CEO of Boardwalk Collective, an advisory and investment firm. She is the Executive Chairperson of Mealogic, a tech company providing a platform for healthy meal delivery businesses . And, she is the Co-Chair of the Investor Coalition on Nutrition (ICON). She serves as an advisor to numerous companies, including Instacart, One Bio, Voyage Foods, Brightseed, Arcaea, and Upside Foods. She also serves on the board of Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a Healthier America, Pharrell Williams Yellow, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Future of Food Entrepreneurship Program.
Previously, Ryan founded Feeding Change at the Milken Institute—a global effort to catalyze a healthier food system focusing on the finance community. And, she served on the board of public company Acon S2—a sustainability-focused special purpose acquisition company. Prior to that, Ryan served as Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel of Partnership for a Healthier America, Michelle Obama’s health and wellness initiative.
Throughout a career that has spanned law, civil rights, public policy, marketing, philanthropy, and finance, Ryan has maintained a devotion to creating a healthier, happier, and more equitable future.
Ryan began her career practicing law for nearly a decade at international law firm Hogan Lovells, where she counseled food and agriculture companies around the globe, as well as their trade associations in Washington, D.C. While at the firm, she also maintained a commitment to a robust pro bono practice, handling civil rights, death penalty, and political asylum cases.
Ryan graduated with honors from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.