2026 40 Under 40: Nacy Tai Ryerson

EnCompass Academy

BY: Claire Porter, Contributing Writer

Posted online April 3, 2026 | 2:46 pm

Your proudest moment? Launching EnCompass Academy during one of the most uncertain periods in our lifetime while finishing my doctoral degree. It reinforced that meaningful work is never done alone, and that communities can accomplish incredible things when they rally around a shared purpose.
Your professional aha moment? In 2020, I realized I didn’t have to do everything myself. When I began leaning into my team’s strengths and trusting their leadership, our work became stronger and far more sustainable.

A stint as a special education teacher laid a foundation for Nacy Tai Ryerson, 39. “I witnessed firsthand how unmet needs and low expectations can shape outcomes, not because students lacked ability, but because systems lacked flexibility,” she says.

That perspective coupled with the loss of educational support systems during the COVID-19 pandemic led Ryerson to found EnCompass Academy. The private school supports gifted, neurodivergent, disabled and other marginalized students.

As superintendent, Ryerson oversees EnCompass Academy’s trauma-informed educational model and its professional development program, catering to future educators in partnership with Missouri State University’s service-learning program. “My focus is on strengthening systems and developing future leaders so that our community continues to grow and thrive,” she says.