Population Media Center's founder and President, William Ryerson has a 44-year history of working in the field of population and reproductive health, including almost three decades of experience adapting the Sabido methodology for behavior change communications to various cultural settings worldwide.

 

The Population Media Center, based in South Burlington, Vermont, is a highly successful international organization with offices in several foreign countries. It uses the media, particularly soap operas, to help educate people about family planning and thereby reduce fertility rates. He also serves as Chair and CEO of the Population Institute in Washington, DC, which works in partnership with Population Media Center.

 

William received a B.A. in Biology (Magna Cum Laude) from Amherst College and an M.Phil. in Biology from Yale University (with specialization in Ecology and Evolution).

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Before founding Population Media Center in 1998, Bill served as Director of the Population Institute's Youth and Student Division, Development Director of Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania, Associate Director of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Executive Vice President of Population Communications International. As a graduate student, he was Founder and first Chairperson of the Yale Chapter of Zero Population Growth (ZPG). He also served on the Executive Committee of ZPG, as Eastern Vice President, and as Secretary of the national organization.

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Bill is listed in several editions of Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the East. In 2006, he was awarded the Nafis Sadik Prize for Courage from the Rotarian Action Group on Population and Sustainable Development. Bill states, "I think population growth is one of the great root causes of poverty, unemployment, political instability, environmental destruction, energy shortages, species extinction, and other problems plaguing humankind."

 

PMC sends out daily articles and commentaries that they receive from others about current population issues that are very informative. To receive these, just email Bill and ask to be included.