Muriel Drake Ryan

Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, Muriel Drake (Ryan) grew up on a small farm with working parents. Formal education came naturally to her. She attended Indiana State University and graduated from University of Indianapolis, IUPUI, Indiana University, and the University of Minnesota. All steps with honors and all before she was forty. A teacher, principal, and superintendent, she served in public education and worked with issues of innovation. But in 1992, with her first marriage falling apart and children nearly grown, God started her on a trek to the East Coast and eventually brought her back to Terre Haute.

At retirement, God set her path into full-time home missions, working with the homeless and those in poverty. With her husband, Bernard Ryan, also known as "the other Dr. Ryan", Families by Choice was founded in 2006. Families by Choice calls persons to live lives that honor God by living by choice rather than chance. Families by Choice serves persons with basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) who are at a distance from their family either by geography or emotionally. Presently, Families by Choice has three homeless shelters in Indiana. All net proceeds from her books will go to the work and expansion of Families by Choice.

At 72, I recently started thinking back to my life professionally. What had I accomplished??

As I started logging, I even surprized myself. So I present my professional life:

Resume for Muriel Drake (Stevenson) Ryan

Education: BS from University of Indianapolis

MS from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis

EdS from Indiana University-Bloomington (major: Educational Administration; Minor: Ethnic Studies)

PhD from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Major: Educational Administration & Policy Development; Minor: Curriculum & Instruction, emphasis on Language Arts)

EACH graduation with high academic honors

Leadership Experience: K-12 teaching & Administration as full-time and substitute teaching; worked in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New Jersey, Virginia, and back to Indiana

Youngest local ISTA president, at that time, in Center Grove School Corporation before fair share dues was implemented; increased membership from 87 to 126

Sat on both sides—labor and management--of contract negotiations four times

Mentor to graduate/intern students aspiring to be principals

Co-owed and managed a restaurant for five years

Adjunct and guest professor at four colleges, including Ivy Tech Terre Haute Campus, St. Mary’s-of-the-Woods, Indiana Wesleyan, and University of Minnesota, Mankato

Founded and Executive Director of Families By Choice, Terre Haute, Indiana; work with homeless

Kids Hope USA mentor at Farrington Grove Elementary

Skills: Administration—Served as assistant principal, principal, and superintendent

Public Relations and Media---3 years on talk radio on WRVA Richmond, VA; producer and co-host of “Family Talk with the Ryans”

Public Speaking---in demand for civic clubs in Wabash Valley; nine consecutive years parent speaker for Vigo County Head Start Parenting Annual meeting.

Writing—3 books published; number 4 in the works

Skilled in Quality methods of Evaluation and Goal Setting

Managing Change---opened Rural Charter School in Indiana; on Minnesota state committee of five which approved the first Charter Schools in the USA: was one of five selected in Minnesota to approve the first Charter Schools in the nation.

Group Development---Trained and taught the phases of groups: Form, Norm, Storm & Perform to adult educators and children; ARISE Fellow graduate

Certified as trainer for Time To Teach in Effective Classroom Management

Honors: Offered Educational Administration Department Head at Mankato State University (Now University of Minnesota-Mankato) two months after my Ph.D. graduation based on academic achievement and the triad experience serving in rural, suburban, and urban settings as an administer

1992 in Minnesota recognized as one of ten transformational leaders (based on James MacGregor Burns characteristics) as an enthusiastic optimist

!997 Received Community Service Media Award from WRVA, Richmond, Virginia, for “Family Talk with the Ryans”, focused on services for families and related public policies.

Since returning to my hometown of Terre Haute in 2002, awarded the Jefferson Award for Community Service as a Volunteer working with the homeless

Life member of the NAACP, due my concerns regarding all types of discrimination.

Awarded the MacArthur Award, one of five in the WTHI-TV listening area in Terre Haute in both Indiana and Illinois. It was awarded for my work with the homeless population. Also won a community service award from WRVA-AM, oldest radio station south of the Mason-Dixon Line, located in Richmond, VA. This was awarded for my work with persons and schools in geographical areas of Richmond.

Published: Beyond my books, I have been professionally published in NAESP journal. First article was on the first year as a principal where my first fire “drill” was the real thing, the superintendent died four weeks into the school year which meant I went from half time physical education/half time elementary to full time K-12 disciplinarian and K-6 full time principal. One article picked up for staff development in Canada; my last article published in NAECP was on principal pay equity in September 1992

In my first year as a principal, I learned how to legally release a tenured teacher while satisfying both the union and the school district board. one article picked up for staff development in Canada; my last article published in NAECP was on principal pay equity in September 1992

Lobbyist: Mentored to lobbying though the state learning disability organization

Testified to a joint legislative special session with persons responsible for New Jersey on the topic of charter schools and school choice

After completing a nine-part radio series on state wide school testing in the Commonwealth of Virginia, responded to multiple legislative requests of tapes of the series. We were honored to come on the air right before Former Governor L. Douglas Wilder

Worked with Children’s Defense Fund as one of 35 persons receiving training under the guidance of Marian Wright Edelman and Stand for Children which resulted in national law providing children’s health insurance

Presently working on changes of the school bus stop arm violations

Unpaid Research: After a volunteer transfer from an affluent school to the largest and poorest elementary in Bloomington Public Schools in Minnesota, I conducted research on population transitions and changes as the Mall of America was being built. The research was deemed so solid, the Mayor used it as the core of his State of the city in 1990. It helped move the city from a third ring suburb to a metropolitan, commercial, racially mixed second ring suburb.

Upon returning to my hometown of Terre Haute in 2002 and after my first school board meeting, I did in depth study related to population shifts within VCSC. Reported my finding that indicated they students would be rapidly increasing the free/reduced lunch percentage to over 50% due to economic decline nationally within the near future. I was wrong in my prediction by one year. Poverty hit VCSC one year earlier. The present population within our schools also are severely impacted by fatherlessness. Those stats are seriously depressing.

Presently, consulting with an East Coast NJ School Group with 1000 parents and teachers who are concerned with technology and general instructional & evaluations methods. After less than two months, I have established their Board of Education is in violation of the NJ Sunshine Law.

Essentially, I never enter a school without seeing situations waiting to become a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertations—waiting for questions to be fine-tuned, literature reviewed, data analyzed, defended, and reported. Contact at 812-240-8087

May 2020—Certified as trainer in a method of discipline which respects students while holding them accountable.