Ryann Juden- JD, PhD- is the founding President and CEO of EDGE Strategies.  He has extensive private and public sector experience owning and operating businesses and working in all levels of government.  Known as a gifted change agent who takes unique approaches to solving complex problems, Dr. Juden is a “go to” leader and problem solver relied on by some of the top names in government and business. 

Most recently, Dr. Juden was part of a team and lead one of the most successful municipal government turnarounds in U.S. history when he served as the City Manager and CEO of the City of North Las Vegas from 2018 to 2024.  Drawing from his diverse experiences as an entrepreneur and businessman, Ryann used a private sector business approach to help solve the public sector problems plaguing North Las Vegas which was nationally ranked as the 9^th worst-run city in America.  Under state fiscal receivership, the 75^th most populous city in the nation was on the verge of bankruptcy when Ryann was tasked with developing and implementing a comprehensive multi-year plan to fix the city. 

The plan relied on unconventional and innovative approaches.  Determined to fix the problems without increasing taxes on existing residents or businesses, the strategy focused on creating a new tax base by becoming more business friendly.  Under Dr. Juden’s leadership, the city successfully passed state laws critical to the city’s long-term financial future, and by completely overhauling city departments and streamlining government operations to provide better services and efficiencies, the team successfully attracted business that built over 140 million square feet of new buildings! 

While managing a $1.1B annual budget and leading a staff of nearly 2,000 employees, Ryann helped guide the city out of state fiscal receivership and dramatically improved its standing in the region and nation.  Under Ryann’s leadership the team:

• completely reversed the city’s bond rating from highly speculative “junk bond” status to upper medium investment grade A-minus with a positive outlook (from 5 levels below junk level to five levels above investment grade)
• eliminated the city’s $152M structural deficit and created a budget surplus of over $200 million
• more than tripled the city’s assessed valuation from $4B to over $13B

Incredibly, by applying private sector strategies, these stunning accomplishments were all achieved without raising taxes or fees; in fact, the city actually reduced fees for all residents and even cut sewer fees in half for many residents!

Ryann has been recognized for numerous awards and honors including:

• 2020 Executive of the Year by the Silver State Awards
• 2021 Nevada Taxpayers Association Cashman Good Government Award
• 2024 Vegas Inc C-Suite Award recipient as a top executive in the state

Ryann has a BA in Political Science from Brigham Young University, a Juris Doctor from The University of Iowa College of Law, and a PhD in Public Affairs from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.  He also taught college as an adjunct professor at the College of Southern Nevada and University of Nevada Las Vegas where he further refined his policy expertise as a frequent contributor at Brookings Mountain West.  As an Eagle Scout, he remains active in Boy Scouts, enjoys cycling, and coaches three local youth recreational soccer teams.

Ryann is active in the community where he serves on the Executive Board of Directors for Three Square Food Bank, was appointed by the Legislature to serve on the Clark County School District Community Budget Advisory Committee, was appointed by the Nevada Board of Regents to serve on the College of Southern Nevada President Search Committee, CCSD Superintendent’s Equity and Access Commission, and served as a committee member of Governor Lombardo’s transition team. 

Born and raised in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Ryann has been married to his wife Debbie, a fourth generation Nevadan, since 1999.  They have four active sons and one daughter who keeps everyone and everything in line!