![G. Brint Ryan was presented the 2017 Wings of Eagles Presidential Award by UNT President Neal Smatresk on March 25 at the Wingspan Gala. The award is given to an alumnus or friend of the university who embodies what UNT represents: engagement, generosity and affinity.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/untspr2019/20190507042927im_/https://news.unt.edu/sites/default/files/Brint%20Ryan%20wingspan%20award.jpg)
DENTON, Texas (UNT) – G. Brint Ryan was presented the 2017 Wings of Eagles Presidential Award by UNT President Neal Smatresk on March 25 at the Wingspan Gala.
The Wings of Eagles Presidential Award celebrates creativity, spirit and innovation at UNT. It is awarded to an alumnus or friend of the University who embodies what UNT represents: engagement, generosity and affinity. It is the most prestigious award presented by the president to someone who has made a transformative impact on the university.
Ryan graduated from UNT with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in UNT’s five-year accounting program in 1988. CPA, is founder and chairman/CEO of Ryan, an award-winning global tax services firm, with the largest indirect and property tax practices in North America and the seventh largest corporate tax practice in the United States.
With global headquarters in Dallas, the firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, tax compliance and strategic planning. With a team of over 2,100 professionals and associates, Ryan serves more than 12,000 clients in more than 40 countries, including many prominent Global 5000 companies.
Ryan is ranked among the Dallas 500 Most Influential Business Leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth by D CEO Magazine, and is a two-time recipient of the international Customer Service CEO of the Year Award from the Customer Service Institute of America for outstanding leadership. He was recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Powerful People in the State of Texas by Texas Monthly magazine. In 2014, he was among only 10 Managing Partners in the nation to be named to Accounting Today’s 2014 Managing Partner Elite list. His leadership has made Ryan one of the fastest-growing major corporate tax services firms in the United States, and in 2015, Ryan was selected to the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. Also that year, he was appointed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to serve as chairman of the Lieutenant Governor’s Tax Policy Advisory Board, and he was re-appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to serve a second six-year term as chairman of the UNT System Board of Regents.
He serves on the UNT Dallas Foundation Board and UNT Pi Kappa Alpha Chapter Housing Corporation Board. He previously served on the UNT Accounting Advisory Board and UNT College of Business Advisory Board. He received the Judge Elbert P. Tuttle Distinguished Achievement Award from the Epsilon Delta Chapter, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity at UNT in 2011. He has served on the Board of Trustees for Pi Kappa Alpha since 2012 and was elected vice president in 2015. He also was recognized with UNT’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009, the Outstanding Alumnus Service Award in 2003 and the College of Business Accounting Department Alumnus of the Year Award in 1997. Additionally, he has received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Pi Kappa Alpha and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Beta Pi Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi.
Ryan was previously appointed by former Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Susan Combs to serve on the Taxpayer Advisory Group, composed of business and community leaders who review and make recommendations on matters pertaining to tax policy in the state. He also was appointed by former Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst to the Texas Select Committee on Economic Development and chaired its economic development policy subcommittee. The subcommittee reported findings, after meeting with business leaders and the public, which have supported the competitive edge Texas now has for high-paying jobs in the global marketplace.
Ryan is a member of the executive committees of the boards of directors of the Texas Association of Business and the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute for Professionals in Taxation and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. In 2016, he was invited to serve on the Advisory Board of the Caring for Children Foundation of Texas, a foundation formed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. In addition to serving on economic committees, Brint serves as a board member for numerous nonprofit organizations, including the American Heart Association, Dallas Citizen’s Council and We Heart Veterans Inc.
He resides in Dallas with his wife, Amanda, and their five daughters.