Harper College will be closed Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day.
Kari-Ann Ryan
Director of Marketing and Development, Mid-West Moving and Storage
Founder, LMJ’s Lost Souls Alzheimer’s Fund
Kari-Ann Ryan’s drive to succeed in her marketing career and community service work is grounded in the important lessons she learned at Harper College: Never give up and hit your goals. “I was a long-time Harper student while I worked full time in my first career path,” she said. “I never gave up, I was always committed to the end goal of graduating and moving on to finish my degree.”
After Ryan finished her associate degree in Marketing at Harper in 1999, “It set me up to move on and graduate with honors and a sense of accomplishment from Western Michigan,” she said. Ryan received a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2001.
Throughout Ryan’s stellar career, she has held a variety of marketing roles in the northwest suburbs and is currently director of marketing and development of Mid-West Moving & Storage, Inc. where she has worked since 2017. Her successes there have resulted in seven awards, including the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Ethics in 2022 earned for the company.
Her work in the community is equally notable and she’s especially passionate about causes that address Alzheimer’s Disease. Ryan led a top fundraising team for the Northwest Suburban Walk To End Alzheimer’s, bringing in almost $400,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association.
In 2022, she founded LMJ’s Lost Souls Alzheimer’s Fund, which makes a difference through fundraising, awareness, education and support. “My grandmother had Alzheimer’s Disease for more than 13 years, and she lived with us,” Ryan explained. “I had no control over all she was experiencing ... so I took control by advocating, fundraising and supporting this cause. It became a personal brand for me. (LMJ’s Lost Souls) has a vision to make an impact in our local community, be direct funders of research and so much more.”
She is also involved with a nonprofit called the backyard EXPERIENCE in Schaumburg, Lemons of Love (which provides care packages to individuals impacted by cancer), Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce and GOA Regional Business Association. The Schaumburg Business Association (SBA) has recognized her numerous times for her leadership roles, and she served the SBA as chairman of the board in 2021 and 2022. “Being involved in the community, chambers and local organizations are a way for me to not only give back, but to serve, inspire and lead others to do the same,” Ryan said.
It all started with her time at Harper College. “I will forever be grateful that Harper College made it easy to keep going and hit the goals I set for myself.”