Ryan joined the iCivics team as the Director of Professional Learning in December of 2023. 

In his decade in the classroom he taught AP Government, AP World History, AP United States History, economics, and world history. He was a member of the 2019 Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies writing team and helped with Rangefinding and Vertical Articulation teams for the Kentucky Summative Assessment for Social Studies. Ryan was the Kentucky Council Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 2014, a high school semi-finalist in the Valvoline Kentucky Teacher of the Year in 2017 and was recognized nationally as the 2017 Outstanding Secondary Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the National Council for Social Studies. As a teacher he was also President of and current member of the Kentucky Council for Social Studies. 

In 2018, Ryan became the K-12 Instructional Lead for Social Studies at Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. In this role he helped implement Kentucky Academic Standards for Social Studies, built the Living Democracy, an inquiry based instructional framework, and high quality professional learning, and partnered with local and national organizations to help teachers create Democratic Classrooms. 

Ryan received his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction in Social Studies from the University of Kentucky in 2022. His research focused on the C3 Framework, inquiry based learning, state standards, and educational policy at local, state, and national levels. He holds separate masters degrees in History and Teaching as well as undergraduate degrees in classical studies and history. He has presented on and published articles on inquiry based learning, disciplinary literacy, becoming civically involved in local communities, and building democratic classrooms. In 2021 he received the Meece Award from the Kentucky Council for Social Studies for his contribution to advancing Social Studies across the Commonwealth.

Ryan lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wonderful wife and teacher, Andrea, and their children, Penelope and Ethan. He enjoys running, cycling, reading, board games, crosswords, and being with his family.