Ryan Erickson-Kulas Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

•Direct the foundation's Digital Equity, Intellectual Property Education, Smart Justice, Student Basic Needs, and Textbook Affordability programs, ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission and strategic direction•Key player in developing the foundation's strategic plan, including completely revamping the process•Identified and built out the foundation’s grant management platform and play a key role in setting grant-making priorities. Trained staff, managed records, and directed grant activities. Evaluate applications and approve grant agreements to align with the foundation’s mission. •Oversee $3.9m annual budget development and management by conducted thorough analysis and forecasting, monitored and managed budget adherence, provided regular financial reports to senior management•Play an active leadership role in the core values working group, instrumental in drafting values that will be adopted organization-wide, thereby strengthening the organizational culture and ethos•Heavily involved in setting and executing the organization's policy agenda.•Organize and assist in facilitating stakeholder convenings, including think tanks, advisory boards, and conferences, to ensure our approach was informed and guided by insights from the field

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

•Led the Textbook Affordability initiative to develop strategy and policy to decrease the cost of textbooks for all students with a focus on community colleges and open educational resources•Advocated for and secured $115m in the 2021 state budget for zero-textbook cost degrees at community colleges•Oversaw the launch, growth, and operation of the Spark Grant program, a rapid response vehicle

Miami, Fl, Us

As Director of State Operations and Programs, I was responsible for providing support to all staff statewide in the areas of programs and operations, and ensuring that all programs are achieving Best Buddies standards of excellence, all staff are properly trained, office infrastructure is in place and working properly, expenses are accurately tracked, and deadlines for reports to funders and headquarters are understood and met.

Miami, Fl, Us

As Program Supervisor, I run the Jobs program of Best Buddies California. We work to place individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in competitive and integrated employment. I am responsible for employer recruitment, tracking and fulfilling contractual obligations, and ensuring the accuracy of the billing process. I also supervise Employment Consultants who work with our participants.

Miami, Fl, Us

As Program Supervisor, I ran the Jobs program of Best Buddies Virginia. We worked to place individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in competitive and integrated employment. I was responsible for employer recruitment, tracking and fulfilling contractual obligations, and ensuring the accuracy of the billing process. I also supervised Employment Consultants who work with our participants.

Miami, Fl, Us

As Program Manager for High Schools and Colleges I work with area high schools and colleges to maintain quality chapters of Best Buddies. This is accomplished through student recruitment, fostering student leaders with and without intellectual disabilities, and working with campus faculty and administration, as well as local agencies (host sites) providing services to people with intellectual disabilities to identify people to match in the Colleges program.

New York, Ny, Us

I taught high school math at South Granville High School in Creedmoor, NC. My classes included an EC (special education) inclusion year-long Algebra class and two Algebra II classes. I also served as the JV boys basketball coach.

Ba, Psychology, Political Science

Psychology, Political Science