Sen. Christopher J. Ryan is a dedicated public servant representing New York's 50th Senate District, which includes parts of Onondaga and Oswego counties. He assumed office on Jan. 1, 2025.

Senator Ryan proudly serves as chair of the Cities 2 Committee and is a member of the committees on Agriculture; Health; Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business; Energy and Telecommunications; Labor; and Consumer Protection.

Before his tenure in the State Senate, Chris served as the Minority Leader in the Onondaga County Legislature, where he had been a member since 2011. During his time there, he chaired the Public Safety Committee, focusing on enhancing operations within the Sheriff's Office, Emergency Management and the District Attorney's Office, as well as vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee. He also served on the Geddes Town Board, where he was first elected in 2005. There he served as deputy supervisor for two years, and also served as chairman of the Zoning & Planning Committee.

Beyond his public service, Chris has a long history as a trade unionist. He trained with Communications Workers of America (CWA) to become a lineman and worked for a telephone company. He was appointed union Shop Steward in 1997 and has been a member of CWA Local 1123 for over 28 years. In 2014, Chris was elected president of CWA after serving 10 years as executive vice president. In this capacity as a labor leader, he advocated for workers' rights, negotiated contracts, and was instrumental in attracting and retaining jobs for nearly 800 union workers in Central New York. 

Chris received his Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Buffalo State College and an Associate of Applied Science in criminal justice from Onondaga Community College. He is also an alumnus of Westhill High School.

A lifelong Central New Yorker, Chris grew up on the west side of Syracuse in the town of Geddes, where he resides with his wife, Erin, a public school teacher. They have four children: Maeve, Aidan, Molly and Declan.