Dr. Jackie Ryle, facilitator and consultant, Empowerment Strategies

Fresno, CA (Jan. 27, 2010) – As a child in Modesto, Jackie Ryle dreamed of two things:  playing the drums and being a firefighter.

“Women couldn’t go in the fire service in those days, and my parents told me I couldn’t play drums because girls didn’t play drums,” she chuckled.  “I think they didn’t want to hear the noise.”

Ryle started her first job at age 14, and ever since has worked at least two jobs.  She fibbed about her age and became an employee of Hartfield stores, which sold discounted women’s clothing.  The ladies that sold there would work on commission, and she would occasionally go to the floor and do sales as well.

“It was pretty cutthroat,” she said.

Her first full-time job was as an “office girl” in a family-owned business in Modesto in 1960.  She would also be an employee at a bank and with the city of Modesto before coming to Fresno with her ex-husband in 1963.  She began work with the city of Fresno that year, first as a stenographer and then a secretary, and was appointed city clerk in 1967, a position she held for 28 years.

“I’m a public servant at heart, I know that,” Ryle said.  “And when you talk about something called servant leadership, that’s very natural to me.”

Ryle can recall two specific things the night of the first city council meeting in September of 1963.  That night, then-mayor Selland was killed in an automobile accident coming back to town with the chamber of commerce director from Los Angeles.  Also, a big model of the Fulton Mall was presented.  The council approved it, and the groundbreaking occurred in 1964.

“So I saw the evolution of the groundbreaking and the building of the mall,” she said.

The old downtown courthouse was torn down when she worked at the old city hall.  She also saw the planning and building of the Fresno Convention Center, and the Saroyan Theater.  

Ryle remembers when Fulton St. was a vibrant, bustling place, with such stores as Gottschalks and Cooper’s department store.  Over time, she said, the mall has refurbished itself, and she thinks the smells of food from eateries wafting down the wall is wonderful.

“It’s not dead, by any means,” she said.  “It’s quite alive, and still quite beautiful.  This city, during my tenure, just evolved into an incredible place with all kinds of opportunities for folks.”

Ryle figures that over the years she had sworn in 56 city council members.  She also saw many city managers and police and fire chiefs come and go.

In 1987, while she was still city clerk, she hosted a weekly public affairs show about what was happening in the Fresno area on a public access channel.  For 22 years she would visit Fresno landmarks, including the zoo, the Meux Home and the Fresno Metropolitan Museum.  She still has people approach her, saying they saw her on TV.

“I missed that,” Ryle said.  “I loved doing that.  I am a frustrated Barbara Walters.”

Ryle highly values education.  She has earned her bachelor’s from the University of San Francisco, and two master’s, one in human resources and organization development from the University of San Francisco and another in human development from the Fielding Institute.  In 1994 she earned her Ph.D. in human and organizational systems from the Fielding Institute.

Ryle has been teaching at the university level nights and on weekends continuously since 1984.  She’s taught for the University of San Francisco, Chapman University, and Golden Gate University, when it had an academic center at Castle Air Force Base.  Ryle would have navigators and pilots fly in from 2-day sorties, still in their uniforms and with bags under their eyes.  She was amazed that they were able to stay awake and participate in classes.  She found out later that some of the people in those classes were graduates of the Air Force Academy.

Ryle is currently a guest lecturer at California State University, Fresno, in the American humanics program, and has taught in the peace and conflict studies program.  She also teaches organizational behavior and organizational development at Alliant International University.

She started her consulting business, Empowerment Strategies, in 1982.  She is a facilitator, and goes in with a group, often a board of directors or staff, and helps them examine things they need to improve upon, find out what’s working well, and see what needs to be done to achieve goals.

“It’s really about facilitation,” she said.  “Really there’s a large piece of bringing people together, really it’s all about relationships.”

Ryle is also a published author.  In 2008 she published a book titled “All I Want is a Little Peace.”  She uses it as a teaching tool for conflict management, as well as workshops.

She has spent much of her time working with non-profits, much of it at no cost.  She has been a member of the Cultural Arts Rotary Club since 1990, and was president of the club in 1995.  Ryle has also been involved with the Fresno Grand Opera, the Fresno Philharmonic, Encourage Tomorrow, the Fresno Coalition for Arts, Science and History, and the Tulare Regional Medical Center.  She has also worked with the National Association for Community Mediation.

When she isn’t working or helping the community, Ryle spends a lot of time with her grandchildren.  Her granddaughter has been pushing her to take up painting again, and she is a frequent attendee of ArtHop.  She jogs every day, and wants to get back into event running.  Ryle also has season tickets for the Fresno Grand Opera and the Fresno Philharmonic.  The groups feature talent locally and from out of the area.

Ryle said she recently heard the average life span for women is 82 years.

“That makes 13 years,” she said, “so I’ve got to make the most out of every one of them.”



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Name:  Dr. Jackie Ryle Title:  Facilitator and Consultant Business:  Empowerment Strategies Address:  P.O. Box 9281         Fresno, CA 93791 Phone:  (559) 226-3623 E-mail:  drjryle@aol.com

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