Chair of the Board of Governors

Martha C. Ryan is chair of The Commonwealth Club's Board of Governors, and for the past two years she was co-chair of the Club's annual gala, its major fundraising event. Martha co-founded a highly successful software company, Daric, Inc., that sells state-of-the-art software to financial institutions, hedge funds and private equity. Martha served for 13 years as a trustee of the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) and was appointed to this position by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She also served as president of the CSSSA Foundation.

Previously, Martha served as chair of The Lincoln Club of Northern California, and was the first female in the state of California to chair a major political group. She has served several times on the board of the San Francisco chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) and received the ARCS Light Award, which is given to the member who has made the most impact. She currently serves on the Madison Council, which supports the Library of Congress.

Martha has helped to raise funds for College Track, founded by Laurene Powell Jobs. In 2005, Martha was appointed the honorary director to the ambassador to the United States for the World’s Fair in Aichi, Japan. She has also hosted and chaired numerous fundraising events for community initiatives, including building the new Stanford Hospital and supporting the Menlo School in Atherton and the Hillsborough Schools.

Martha grew up in Piedmont, California and received her degree in communications and public policy from UC Berkeley. She is married to Gregory Ryan, has two adult children, Greg Jr. and Christina—and a Golden Retriever, Mazey.