Global Playground Executive Director Ryan Drysdale to Step Down

WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 7, 2021 – The Board of Directors of Global Playground, Inc. announces that Ryan Drysdale will step down as Executive Director at the end of this calendar year. Mr. Drysdale was appointed to serve as the Executive Director on February 1, 2019.

Mr. Drysdale’s departure caps a long and accomplished tenure at Global Playground.  In 2010, after graduating from the University of Iowa, Mr. Drysdale joined the organization as its first Teaching Fellow.  In that capacity, he taught English at Global Playground’s project sites in the mountains of Northern Thailand, in the country’s Mae Hong Son province.  After completing his fellowship, Mr. Drysdale returned to the United States, where he travelled on behalf of Global Playground to 30 schools in nine states to facilitate cross-cultural exchange with children at the organization’s project sites abroad.  From 2012 to 2013, Mr. Drysdale served on Global Playground’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Drysdale led a momentous era of change at Global Playground which included guiding the Board of Directors through a strategic planning process, adding two new members to the Board of Directors, doubling the number of school infrastructure projects that the organization has funded from 9 to 18 projects in 11 countries around the world, and navigating the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic.  Additionally, he worked to professionalize the Executive Director role by updating internal processes, establishing new systems, and developing more documentation about the organization to better serve new board members and his eventual successor.  Mr. Drysdale effectively led the launch of Global Playground’s 15-year anniversary campaign including a successful virtual fundraiser and celebration in March 2021.  He will leave the organization in a healthy financial position after increasing annual fundraising through more individual donors and corporate sponsors.

“This is a bittersweet moment,” said Doug Bunch, Chair of Global Playground’s Board of Directors.  “We’re excited to see Ryan’s next steps in the years ahead, but have benefited tremendously from his leadership during his nearly three-year tenure as Executive Director and will miss him.  We wish him the very best.”

“In 2018, when the opportunity to return to Global Playground arose, this time as the Executive Director, I was excited to return to an organization that had accomplished so much through the leadership of Doug Bunch and Edward Branagan.  Serving as the Executive Director has been an honor as this organization and the people behind it have meant so much to me personally and professionally.  I look forward to following and supporting Global Playground’s continued success,” said Mr. Drysdale. 

Mr. Drysdale’s departure marks the beginning of the search for a new part-time Executive Director.  A job description and instructions to apply can be found here.  Mr. Drysdale will continue serving as the Executive Director in the near term to facilitate his successor’s transition. 

Mr. Drysdale will continue his full-time work with Civic Nation in Washington, D.C., where he assists in the organization’s effort to promote nonpartisan civic learning and student voting on college campuses.  

For more information about Global Playground, visit www.globalplayground.org.