Ryan Claborn

Operations Director, Christ in Youth
Joplin, Missouri
Age: 32

Kingdom worker is a concept Joplin, Mo.-based Christ in Youth uses to challenge students to leverage their talents and abilities to serve God. It’s a concept Ryan Claborn practices and promotes through his work with CIY, which specializes in youth outreach conferences, service projects and mission trips. His team coordinates the logistics of CIY’s six domestic touring programs, which are geared toward different age levels: Superstart!, Believe, Move, Know Sweat, Engage and, new for 2012, Mix. About 60 events a year bring in a total attendance of around 50,000. Born in Vinita, Okla., about 50 miles southeast of Joplin, Claborn attended Oklahoma State University, where he received an undergraduate degree in speech communication consultancy, then an MBA. A college internship with CIY led to a full-time position dealing mostly with contracts and budgets for the Move program and evolved into working on operations for all programs. Claborn teaches a finance course at Ozark Christian College each fall, enjoys watching college football, running half-marathons with his wife and raising his almost 2-year-old son Drake. —R. Hodges

What’s your advice for someone starting out in the industry?

“Acting with integrity, investing in people and focusing on the big picture will make you a person that others can trust and want to work with—both are critical to success.”

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