About

As the managing director of sustainability for Alaska Airlines, Ryan Spies is accountable for the development and implementation of the long-term strategy, operational and financial performance of environmental sustainability and the Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) program at the company. In this role, Ryan holds the deep and direct responsibility for the continued evolution of Alaska’s strategy and plans to manage and reduce its carbon footprint, and to achieve Alaska’s environmental sustainability goals. That includes initiatives to scale up use of sustainable aviation fuel, drive operational efficiency, cultivate and leverage new technologies related to achieving these goals including carbon removals, mitigate the impact of climate change on the business, and develop new ways to engagement stakeholders in enabling the journey.   

Ryan joined Alaska in 2023 with experience integrating sustainability, decarbonization & ESG strategies at an executive level with three Fortune 500 companies in multiple industries. Most recently, he served as the vice president of sustainability for Clayco, an integrated develop, design and build firm. In that role, he was charged with building and executing an industry-leading long-term strategy focused on corporate emissions goals and reporting, coordinating net-zero carbon design in industrial and commercial buildings, and more.   

Ryan graduated from Lehigh University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011 with an MBA with a concentration in corporate strategy. Ryan, his wife Rita (a pediatric hospitalist), and two boys, Henry and Louie, and and one girl, Rosie, call Seattle home after moving to the area from Philadelphia in January 2024. Ryan loves to ride bikes – over 4,000 miles per year – and is thrilled to get back to the West Coast where he went to high school.