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48 Hartford Business Journal • August 6, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com R yan Martin started the Ryan Martin Foundation 10 years ago with the mission of helping youth and adult athletes with disabilities to live independent, impassioned, productive and full lives through sports training, mentoring and education. RMF supports two junior programs in Spain and Connecticut, and numerous summer camps all over the U.S. Martin annually does numer- ous speaking engagements across the country and serves as an advisor to the U.S. Paralympics Inclusive Collegiate Sports Model. What's been the biggest professional accomplishment so far in your career? My biggest accomplishment has been taking a small nonprofit organization and growing it into an international nonprofit that serves over 150- plus athletes annually worldwide while providing these programs free of charge. How are you involved in the community? Very involved in the community from helping build inclusive basketball courts in the state of Connecticut, speaking at local schools/compa- nies, and working with RMF's student athletes through camps/junior teams. What do you like to do outside of work? Love to travel, play sports and workout! Give an example of a people-skills habit you adhere to in your work and daily life that you feel has helped you succeed. Being able to respect everyone's values regard- less of differences and create open dialogue. What must the Greater Hartford region do to attract more talented young professionals to the area? Greater Hartford needs to continue to create jobs that are competitive in salaries and promote a healthy work-life balance. Four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: • Created a nonprofit that serves an under- served population here in Connecticut. • I am a statewide advocate for inclusion of persons with disabilities. • Impacted thousands throughout the state through various speaking engagements. • Served on several nonprofit boards that serve the citizens in the state of Connecticut. Fun Fact Played 10 years of professional wheelchair basketball in Europe. M egan Gavin's passion is answering chal- lenging education development questions through quantitative and qualitative techniques. She has worked in Belize, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Tajikistan, and Tanzania; has provided backstop support for education systems in Ecuador, Ghana and Liberia and has written policy briefs on education systems in Afghanistan, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan and Peru. In 2017, she reviewed Early Learning Develop- ment Standards for 37 countries with UNICEF and conducted a baseline and endline study on school mentoring in Ethiopia with Save the Children. She also teachers at the university level; during the 2017-2018 academic year she had the privilege to teach in UConn's public policy program. What's been the biggest professional accomplishment so far in your career? I published a case study and blog for United Nations Education Science Cultural Organiza- tion (UNESCO) on parental participation and accountability in education in Honduras. How are you involved in the community? To serve my community, I founded a local NGO, GrannyMani, which works with Girl Scouts in CT and nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in the state. Volunteers provide manicures to older adults while learning from the older adults and sharing special moments together. What do you like to do outside of work? I enjoy getting a relaxing massage with my best friend at Botanicals Day Spa in Avon. What must the Greater Hartford region do to attract more talented young professionals to the area? Invest in early childhood education; young professionals are attracted to an area based on an array of factors including the quality of ser- vices the area can provide to their families and children. International and domestic evidence suggests that there are gains for both parents and children who participate in early education programs. Greater Hartford must be a leader for our nation. Four reasons why you deserve to be a 40 Under Forty: • Ran the Boston Marathon, to fundraise for the Boston College Campus School, which pro- vides education to children with special needs. • Was a Peace Corps volunteer from Nicaragua where I taught children and worked with teach- ers; I later lived there for five years. • Wrote and won a $10 million proposal to pro- vide early grade reading services to children and youth in Nicaragua; was the director dur- ing start-up. • Served as team leader for five education performance evaluations and has worked on various performance evaluations worldwide. Fun Fact I have worked and traveled to 40 countries and over 40 states and am proud to call West Hart- ford 'home.' Ryan Martin Age: 39 Company: Ryan Martin Foundation Title: President No. of years with current company: 10 Town where I live: Simsbury Town where I work: Simsbury College: Southwest Minnesota State University Highest degree: Bachelor's degree in education Megan R. Gavin Age: 38 Company: Save the Children; others Title: Sr. Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist No. of years with current company: 15 Town where I live: West Hartford Town where I work: West Hartford, worldwide College: Boston College, Harvard, New School Highest degree: Ph.D. in public policy 40 UNDER FORTY 2018 PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED