Turning a liberal arts education into a Fourth Estate invite
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August 20, 2024
Like many first-year students, Ryan Kadro ’99 had no idea what he wanted to be when he entered Albion College in the fall of 1993. Much of his time was spent devising a path from Division III goalkeeper to the 98 World Cup.
His years at Albion, however, provided him with the creative space to pursue several passions and taught him to think critically (and practically). Those cherished years also brought him together with his wife (Maggie Kuhn ’00) and equipped him with knowledge which today allows him to thrive at the highest levels in broadcast media.
The Emmy-Award winning producer serves as CNN’s senior vice president of content strategy. During his prior time at CBS, Kadro helped create “CBS This Morning.” His career has taken him across the globe covering major events–sometimes hobnobbing with the likes of Oprah, heads of states, and celebrities such as NBA-great Charles Barkley and Gayle King.
“At Albion and CBS and, now, CNN, curiosity is a virtue rewarded,” Kadro noted. “Every day is a new opportunity to learn about a different issue in our country or an event reverberating around the world. My liberal arts education prepared me incredibly well for life in a newsroom. Taking classes in English, history, religion, philosophy, and even geology classes (we’ve covered lots of volcanoes through the years) provided a foundation for thinking critically about the world.”
Albion College alum Ryan Kadro (top left) ’99 along with some famous associates.
Treading a ’different path’
Among Kadro’s fond Albion memories are the friendships made playing soccer; a tremendous sense of pride earning a 3.0 in astronomy; film-making classes; his favorite professor, Religious Studies Professor Selva Raj; and forming a college band, Jaba The Funk.
“We used to play Wednesday nights at the bars in town and in Marshall and occasionally at the Goodrich Club,” Kadro said. “Absolutely incredible memories of trying to tread a little different path.”
Kadro’s most-important Albion connection came on his first day on campus in 1996.
“I saw this beautiful woman (Maggie) in the hallway at a party,” Kadro recalled. “I remarked to my friend Ian Kessler that I was going to marry that girl. It took her three months to finally agree to a date. We went to see Bob Dylan in East Lansing and stayed up all night talking.”
The couple has been together ever since. They live in Irvington, New York, with their children, Brady, 17, and Cecilia, 15.
Both of their first significant, post-graduation jobs were at NBC. And that experience brought Kadro’s career passion into focus.
“I visited Maggie in New York [who was interning at NBC during her junior year at Albion] and was blown away that she was working in the same building where Nirvana had performed on Saturday Night Live,” he said. “For the first time in my life something that seemed so inconceivable became attainable. Because of her Albion experience, I could literally touch the stage made famous by so many people I admired.”
His journalism career has included stints with NBC, CBS, Quibi, and The Recount. He joined CNN in 2022. He’s led coverage of historical events such as the 2016 Presidential Election, President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and the first-ever broadcast from the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.
“I remain grateful and indebted to Albion for helping me grow up, figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and introducing me to my life partner, Maggie,” he said.