Ryan Etheridge
Ryan Etheridge serves as the Project AWARE Evaluator and Coaching Coordinator for Cleveland County Schools in Shelby, North Carolina. Project AWARE is a SAMHSA-funded grant seeking to improve graduation rates and reduce substance use in rural communities by mitigating barriers to accessing mental health services and providing a continuum of social-emotional and behavioral supports for students. Ryan has trained hundreds of staff and community members in Youth Mental Health First Aid and the Community Resiliency Model. He previously served as a high school assistant principal where he managed student discipline, the Exceptional Children program, and communication. Ryan was a reading and math teacher at Boiling Springs Elementary School where he served as the parent involvement coordinator. Ryan received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Clemson University. At Clemson, he worked for the Center of Excellence for Instructional Technology which aimed to prepare future educators with a solid instructional technology foundation. Ryan is currently working toward earning his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University. When Ryan is not obsessing over a spreadsheet, he enjoys spending time exploring the local greenway, baking cookies, and gardening with his wife and three sons.
