Kai Ryssdal (; born October 8, 1963) is an American

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

and the host of ''

Marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

'', a business program that airs weekdays on U.S. public radio stations. He also co-hosts the spinoff

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

Make Me Smart Make or MAKE may refer to: * Make (magazine), a tech DIY periodical *Make (software), a software build tool *Make, Botswana, in the Kalahari Desert *Make Architects Make Architects is an international architecture practice headquartered in Londo ...

'' with Kimberly Adams. ''Marketplace'' is produced and distributed by

American Public Media American Public Media (APM) is an American company that produces and distributes public radio programs in the United States, the second largest company of its type after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and o ...

. Ryssdal took over in August 2005, replacing David Brown. Before hosting ''Marketplace'', he was host of the ''Marketplace Morning Report'', a seven-minute business roundup, as well as the weekend program '' Marketplace Money''.

Early life and education

Ryssdal is from

Briarcliff Manor, New York Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor in ...

. His surname is Norwegian, as his father was born in Norway. He spent several years of his childhood in England and Denmark before moving back to the United States at age eight, living in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

. He graduated from

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1985. Ryssdal received his Master of Arts in National Security Studies from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1993.

Career

After graduating from college, Ryssdal spent eight years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, first flying a Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye from the aircraft carrier , and later as a Pentagon staff officer. After earning his Master's degree, Ryssdal joined the U.S. Foreign Service, serving in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Canada, and Beijing, China. After leaving the Navy, Ryssdal worked at a Border's Books & Music location in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

for $7 an hour. Before joining ''Marketplace'', Ryssdal was a reporter and substitute host for ''The California Report'', a news and information program distributed to public radio stations throughout California by

KQED-FM KQED-FM (88.5 MHz) is a NPR-member radio station in San Francisco, California. Its parent organization is KQED Inc., which also owns its television partners, both of which are PBS member outlets: KQED (channel 9) and KQEH (channel 54). Stu ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. The

Radio and Television News Directors Association The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA, pronounced the same as " rotunda"), formerly the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), is a United States-based membership organization of radio, television, and online news dire ...

and the national Public Radio News Directors Association have honored him with awards for his radio work.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryssdal, Kai 1963 births 20th-century American naval officers American people of Norwegian descent American Public Media American public radio personalities Emory University alumni Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni Living people People from Briarcliff Manor, New York Place of birth missing (living people) United States Foreign Service personnel United States Naval Aviators United States Navy officers