Sharon Ryan

Sharon Ryan, the founder of the Dream Flight USA Foundation and the creator of the shuttle program, is a full-time teacher in Wausau, WI . Sharon teaches 5th grade at John Marshall Elementary School in the Wausau School District.

Mrs. Ryan is the recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award for Elementary Mathematics and Science Teaching. Other honors include being named the Wisconsin Elementary Teacher of the Year, the Wisconsin Space and Aviation Teacher of the Year, the Wausau YWCA Woman of Vision Award, the Award of Excellence from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Wisconsin Technology Education Association - Award of Excellence in Elementary Technology Integration, and Distinguished Science Teacher Award-Wisconsin Elementary Science Teachers.

The original Dream Flight Wausau program, which she developed for the Wausau School District, was featured on ABC Television's Good Morning America. The program was chosen as one of the top 30 innovative programs in the United States by PBS New York's Searching for a Hero.

Mrs. Ryan attended the NASA Rockets for Schools program, authored a unit on "A hands-on approach to teaching science, and integrating science across the curriculum" for Harcourt Brace Publishing, and has presented at numerous workshops across the country.