UC Berkeley: Light the Way's video: 2024 Peter E Haas Public Service Award recipient Martha Ryan

Martha A. Ryan M.P.H. ’89 is a visionary leader who has dedicated her life to serving others and built a remarkable legacy based on this principle. A former nurse practitioner, she is the founder and former executive director of the Homeless Prenatal Program, a nationally recognized family resource center in San Francisco that empowers homeless and low-income families — particularly mothers motivated by pregnancy and parenthood — to find within themselves the strength and confidence they need to transform their lives. She started her professional life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, later returning there to work as a nurse in refugee camps in Uganda and Somalia. Her other awards include alumna of the year at Berkeley’s School of Public Health, a CNN Hero Award, and the James Irvine Leadership Award. Video by Brian Wollitz.