Ryan Taylor served for over nine years on active duty in the United States Air Force and has served for almost nine and a half years in the Air Force Reserves where he’s currently a Lieutenant Colonel. He graduated from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at UVA and was also in the ROTC. Participating in the ROTC as a student helped Ryan transition to active duty in the Air Force because of the high expectations of performance and behavior he had acquired in the program. While on active duty, he served on the Civil Engineer Squadron. He joined UVA as a construction project manager and transitioned to a leadership role with ease due to the leadership skills he gained in the Air Force. In addition to serving in the Air Force Reserves, Ryan was an ROTC instructor at UVA for three years.
Ryan says that “leadership is about people; relating the mission and being accountable for results.” Serving in the military exposed him to people from various backgrounds which taught him the importance of communication, patience, being flexible, and being accountable; lessons that he applies in his current role as manager and colleague.