Ryan Maxwell

Ryan Maxwell

Ryan Maxwell is an educator, strategist, and leadership coach with experience as a classroom teacher in Oakland and a founding school leader in Chicago. Over more than two decades in public education, he has worked at the intersection of learning design, leadership development, and system strategy—helping schools and organizations cultivate deeper learning and equitable, high-performing cultures.

Ryan comes to Leanlab Education from EL Education, where he served as a managing director of partnerships leading a team of 70 in partnerships with hundreds of schools and systems nationwide, driving initiatives in leadership development, school quality, and organizational improvement.

Through his consultancy, Exceptionally Good Leadership, he now partners with districts, nonprofits, and education innovators to align vision, strategy, and practice in pursuit of enduring student and community impact. A former AmeriCorps VISTA and lifelong advocate for civic engagement, Ryan holds a master’s degree from Harvard University and hosts the podcast Exceptionally Good: Leaders for a Better World.