Dr. Ryan Mandado is an innovative and equitable school leader changing the face of public education. He was born and raised in Kalihi, Hawai‘i and is of Cebuano descent. Growing up in Kalihi taught him the values of community, compassion, and contribution. As the youngest CEO of schools in Hawai‘i, he helped to establish DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach - Hawai‘i’s fastest growing public charter school focused on leadership and identity development. As an advocate for community change, Ryan believes that a leadership-focused public education is the key towards transformational change for all kids and their families.

Throughout his K-12 experience, Ryan was heavily involved in school leadership programs that instilled the necessary skills of deep servant leadership. He graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa as a Presidential Scholar and has honors degrees in American Studies and Mandarin Chinese. He completed his doctorate in Education Leadership and wrote his dissertation about the ecological approaches towards agentic school environments. Prior to becoming CEO of DreamHouse, Ryan worked for Google as a Senior Diversity Specialist and led the Culture Add program - a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program across all of North America.

Ryan is a model of what homegrown local leadership can look like and serve as inspiration for future leaders of Hawai‘i. Ryan believes that leadership is about being a fully integrated human-being. He believes in the potential of all people and creates inclusive environments that seek to "call in" diverse perspectives for liberatory futures.