Ryan Bower joined the OBU Athletics Department in June 2026, bringing more than a decade of experience in athletic communications, marketing, and media relations. Prior to OBU, he served as a Marketing and Communications Manager at Western Governors University (2021-25) and Communications Specialist for the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources (2020-21).

His collegiate athletics experience includes stops at Florida Southern College (2016-20), Appalachian State University (2011-15), and Western Illinois University (2009-11). He also served as Assistant Director of Public Relations at his alma mater, Cedarville University (2015-16).

At Florida Southern, Bower helped improve the department's live streaming capabilities, leading to a 79% increase in viewership over his four years. He also implemented social media content plans that increased FSC's Instagram engagement by 180%, and boosted the Moccasins' Twitter/X engagement by 79%.

He was instrumental in leading the initiative to create a shared streaming platform for the Sunshine State Conference, which led to the creation of the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network.

Under his direction, Florida Southern's athletic communications staff earned six College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) publication and digital media awards, including multiple first-place honors for creative video content. Bower oversaw a full-time staff of three assistants and more than 20 student workers, several of whom have gone on to work at Power 4 schools such as Duke University and the University of Oklahoma.

During his stint at Appalachian State, he worked primarily with men's basketball while serving as the secondary media contact for the Mountaineers' three-time national-championship football program. He also worked with the women's basketball, volleyball, and outdoor track & field teams at App State.

While at App State, Bower led publicity efforts for the Michael Obacha Shoe Drive, which collected more than 700 pairs of shoes for children in Nigeria. The initiative helped earn Obacha a spot on the 2015 NABC/Allstate Good Works Team, recognizing 10 men's basketball student-athletes nationally for community service.

Obacha and his fellow honorees were recognized during the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Bower spent two years (2009-11) as a graduate assistant in the athletic communications office at Western Illinois University, where he was the main contact for men's & women's soccer, women's basketball, baseball, and softball. 

He served as the media manager for the 2011 Summit League Softball Tournament and was also part of the Leathernecks' broadcast team for baseball, women's basketball, football, and softball. He got his start in athletic communications in 2008, when he was the communications intern for the Reading Fightin Phils, the Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

In addition to his full-time roles in college athletics, Bower has also served as a statistician at Campbell, Duke, and UNC-Chapel Hill. He was the media room manager for Duke men's basketball for two years, and served as official scorer for a pair of NCAA Softball Regionals hosted by the Blue Devils.

He is also the official scorer for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL).

He is a 2008 graduate of Cedarville University with a bachelor's in communications, and also earned his master's degree in recreation, park, and tourism administration from Western Illinois University in 2012. Bower and his wife, Malissa, live in Shawnee with their children, Trace and Sloane. The family also has two dogs, Holly and Luna.

UPDATED: 7/8/26