Ron’s career path began with the Milwaukee Police Department, as a Police Aide and later, as a decorated Police Officer. In 1990, he became a Chief Warrant Officer/Aviator in the U.S. Army. Afterward, he joined the Appleton Police Department as a Patrol Officer and later, as a Senior Sergeant, working gang, narcotics and criminal intelligence investigations. In 1998, he received the Appleton Police Dept. "Officer of the Year" award. Ron earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Mount Senario College, and a Master’s of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership and Quality from Marian University. He went on to attain his Educational Doctorate in Leadership, for the Advancement of Learning and Service. He began teaching, part-time at Fox Valley Technical College. In 2004, he moved to teaching full-time at Northcentral Technical College, in Wausau, WI. In 2009 Dr. Connolly's career led him to Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Since late 2016, he has been an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Marian University where he developed a graduate degree program in Professional Practice in Public Safety From 2006 to 2010, he served on the Board of Directors for the Law Enforcement Training Officers Association (LETOA) of Wisconsin. Ron has facilitated/presented an Ethics Instructor Update Series for the Wisconsin Department of Justice. He has been a volunteer for Goodwill Industries Community Circles of Support, helping formerly incarcerated offenders return to the community as productive citizens. Consistent with his early aviation roots, Ron has been a volunteer Docent/Tour Guide at the EAA Airventure Museum in Oshkosh, WI as well as a part-time VIP Security Associate at EAA. In May of 2019, he joined EAA as their Director of Museum and Education and is currently seeking his next opportunity for professional growth.