Ryan Donlan

Ryan Donlan

Ryan Donlan, EdD, is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership in the Bayh College of Education at Indiana State University. He served for 20 years as a teacher and as a building and district leader in traditional and charter schools in K–12 education. Dr. Donlan has taught for years at the college and university level in the areas of leadership, communication, and education, and he conducts and offers school program reviews, a variety of training opportunities, and professional presentations for educators, stakeholder groups, and organizational leaders.

Dr. Donlan is a member of various professional organizations and enjoys robust teaching, scholarship, and service. He has been awarded the Holmstedt Distinguished Professorship and the Faculty Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Donlan has presented throughout the United States and around the world on topics such as adaptive communication, leadership agility, and leveraging relationships for professional and personal success. He has also served on numerous boards, committees, and task forces and is a frequent faculty sponsor for doctoral dissertations.

Dr. Donlan has published articles in magazines and professional journals and has coauthored the books Minds Unleashed: How Principals Can Lead the Right-Brained Way, The Hero Maker: How Superintendents Can Get Their School Boards to Do the Right Thing, and The School Board Member’s Guidebook: Becoming a Difference Maker for Your District.

Dr. Donlan received a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and English from the University of Michigan–Flint, a master’s degree in curriculum design and classroom teaching from Michigan State University, an educational specialist degree from Central Michigan University, and a doctorate of education from Central Michigan University.