Meet the Funga Team: Ryan Keeling

Get to know the Funga crew with this newest installment of our "Meet the Team" series. Come back monthly to meet more team members, hear about their journey to Funga, and understand their vital role in our community.

Ryan in the Colorado alpine near Vail, CO 

We’re big fans of the “Today I get to….” mentality. So, what do you get to do every day at Funga?

At Funga, I am an Operations Manager on the Applied Science team. Like other OPS team members at Funga, my role is to build connections—connections between people and data. Much of my role is focused on developing processes and tools to more efficiently capture field data and enable effective data analysis back in the office. I lean heavily on my geospatial background and process oriented mind to build spatial tools, dashboards, templates, etc. to help answer questions.

Ryan at Sequoia National Park, CA

If you had to explain what Funga does to a third grader, what would you say?

Imagine it’s field day at school and you’re playing tug of war. If it’s only you pulling on the rope, it’s a lot harder to win; but if you work together as a team and build on each other’s strengths, you’re much more likely to succeed. Just like a friendly game of tug of war, Funga builds upon the strength of a tree seedling by giving them a healthy team of soil fungi and microorganisms so the seedling can grow big and strong.

Tell us a little bit about your life. How did it lead you to Funga?

Originally from the Midwest, I grew up frequenting the woods by my house and playing outside until the sun went down. Even from a young age, I’ve always been interested in science and maps and trees and dirt. I remember in 8th grade I wrote a research paper on the Amazon rainforest. I still remember my thesis statement: “the amazon is the lungs of our planet.” Once I learned more about all of the ecosystem services that all trees provide, I never looked back.

Ryan and partner Liz on Sahale Arm North Cascades National Park, WA

My love of science continued to grow through high school and college, where I studied Environmental Science. I was introduced to GIS in college and immediately fell in love. Applying spatial relationships to environmental problems, and answering questions at a landscape scale, made so much sense to me. Once moving to Seattle, WA I was inspired by the grandeur of the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, and motivated to do what I could to mitigate the impacts of climate change and wildfires. I have spent the last chapter of my career focusing on reforestation and climate tech. When an opportunity with Funga arose, I jumped at the chance to join this team. Working at Funga is truly a dream come true.

What is your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part of the job at Funga is working with brilliant people. I am a helper by nature and I get a lot of joy out of solving problems and enabling the people around me to be the best version of themselves. Being in a role where I am able to build connections between people and the systems to support them is incredibly rewarding. 

What is one workflow/productivity tool or trick that you can’t live without?

My daily running habit gives me a lot of time to think through problems. When I am trail running, I am so inspired by the natural world. I get some of my best ideas while on a run. I will often pause, open up my notes app, jot something down, and build them into something great when I get back to my desk. I’ve also been on a hi-fi audio kick recently. Lossless audio paired with nice speakers or headphones quickly gets me into a flow state.

What trivia round would you know every answer to?

Phone a friend for all things ultra trail running, adventure vans, and Lord of the Rings 🤙

Can you share a favorite memory of/with the Funga team?

During our last offsite, a group of us filled our downtime playing soccer in a small patch of turf by the dining hall. The talents of Fungans extend beyond forestry, data analysis, landowner communications, etc.—there are also a lot of talented soccer players. Crisp passes, outstanding juggling, and tricks that would leave a young Ryan in awe. I have since gotten myself a soccer ball again, and have been practicing my juggling skills and tricks to be ready for the next Funga soccer circle.

Ryan running at Palisades Tahoe, CA