Meet the Team
Who You'll Work With
Experienced leadership dedicated to strengthening mission-driven organizations.
Samuel Ryan
Principal Consultant
Samuel Ryan is an organizational development leader with more than 15 years of experience designing and implementing strategic initiatives in education and government.
Professional Background
Throughout his career at the U.S. Department of Education, Samuel served as a strategic advisor to senior executives, led multi-year organizational transformation efforts, and built systems that helped 100+ staff members align their work to mission-critical priorities.
His career began in youth civic engagement, working with organizations like Mikva Challenge in Chicago to expand young people's participation in democracy. This foundation shaped his belief that effective organizations are built on strong relationships, clear communication, and genuine commitment to the communities they serve.
Areas of Expertise
- Strategic planning and performance management
- Change management and organizational transformation
- Process improvement and operational efficiency
- Human capital development and competency frameworks
- Executive advisory and leadership coaching
- Technology implementation and adoption
Notable Accomplishments
- Led cultural transformation achieving 90%+ adoption of competency-based development planning across 100+ person office
- Developed innovative hiring pathway that reduced time-to-hire by 50%
- Rescued failing technology platform implementation, achieving successful launch within 5 weeks
- Generated 5% capacity gain through process automation across nine major workstreams
- Conducted Executive Branch-wide benchmarking study of 400+ federal professionals
- Facilitated strategic planning sessions resulting in 22 measurable division priorities
Approach to Consulting
Samuel believes every organization has unique strengths, constraints, and culture. His approach starts with listening, understanding context, and co-creating solutions that work for each team. He prioritizes building internal capacity so organizations can sustain progress long after engagements end.
Professional Philosophy
"I believe every organization has the potential to achieve extraordinary results when strategy, people, and operations align. My role is to help leaders see their challenges clearly, identify practical solutions, and build the internal capacity to sustain progress long after our engagement ends."
Working Style
What you can expect when working with Samuel Ryan Consulting
Clear Communication
You'll always know where we are in the process, what's working, what challenges we're facing, and what comes next. No jargon, no surprises.
Collaborative Partnership
Your team knows your organization better than anyone. I work with you, not just for you, ensuring solutions reflect your expertise and context.
Accountability
I hold myself to the same standards I recommend for others. You'll see deliverables on time, commitments honored, and quality work throughout.
Practical Focus
Every recommendation considers your real constraints—budget, timeline, staff capacity, and culture. The best solution is the one that actually gets implemented.
Get in Touch
Ready to discuss how Samuel Ryan Consulting can support your organization?
Location
Washington, D.C.
Available for remote and travel engagements