Ryan Ireland, PhD, is a lifelong communications professional whose work has focused on nonprofits, higher education, and the arts. He is the author of scholarly and popular nonfiction as well as two internationally-published novels. As a finalist for the VanderMey Nonfiction Prize, the Barry Lopez Nonfiction Prize, and the winner of the Tom Howard / John H. Reid Essay award, he was selected in 2019 as a writer-in-residence for the Jan Michalski Foundation in Switzerland. As a public speaker Ryan has delivered keynote addresses, lectures, and a TEDx Talk. In 2021, he traveled 49 states while co-hosting, writing, and producing a travel podcast with his partner, Miracle. In addition to his work with Piano Cleveland, Ryan serves as Vice President on the Darl Center for the Arts Board of Directors, works with the Slavic Village Green Team to improve public spaces, and serves as a judge for various Writers’ Digest competitions. In his spare time, Ryan can be found tending to his certified monarch butterfly sanctuary garden or out on the trails of the Metropark system.