Ryan Shaw is a Professor of Practice in History and Strategy, Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Senior Advisor to Arizona State University President Michael Crow. His work focuses on organizational strategy and leadership, as well as enhancing the university’s contribution to national defense by spearheading projects such as the Competitive Statecraft Initiative at ASU, and Security & Defence PLuS, which combines ASU’s defense-focused programs with those of King’s College London and the University of New South Wales in Sydney.
Prior to joining ASU, Ryan was an officer in the U.S. Army. He earned his commission from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he majored in American Politics. After early service as an armor officer—including commanding a cavalry troop in the Anbar Province of Iraq—he earned an MA in History from Yale University and returned to West Point as an Assistant Professor of American History. For the remainder of his uniformed service, Ryan was an Army Strategist, leading strategic planning and assessment efforts and providing strategic advice to leaders at the highest levels of U.S. and multi-national military organizations. Key assignments included serving as civil support planner and Strategic Advisor to the Commander of NORAD & U.S. Northern Command; Director of Plans and Assessments and Strategic Advisor in the Office of the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authorities; and Special Advisor to the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A graduate of strategic education programs at Yale University and the U.S. Army War College, Ryan is a doctoral candidate at Yale and has published in the fields of grand strategy, strategic theory, and western & frontier history. He is an International Security Fellow at New America, a faculty affiliate of ASU’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, and an Expert-in-Residence for the University Design Institute.