Ryan Coonerty, a nationally recognized local government leader, advises elected officials, businesses and organizations seeking innovative public policy outcomes. He is a former two-time Mayor and County Supervisor of Santa Cruz County as well as an entrepreneur, author, and educator. Currently, he serves as a Senior Policy Advisor to San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and numerous companies. He is a long-time lecturer on law and government at UC Santa Cruz and the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.

Ryan is the co-host of the NewDEAL’s “An Honorable Profession” podcast — which showcases the next generation of American leaders. He is the author of many articles in national and regional publications as well as The Rise of the Naked Economy – How to Benefit from the Changing Workplace (Macmillan, 2013) and Etched in Stone – Enduring Words from our National Monuments (National Geographic, 2007).

Ryan was selected by the Aspen Institute to be a Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership as one of “the nation’s most promising young elected officials,” a national fellow at the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, and a Community Hero by the United Way of Santa Cruz County.

Ryan graduated from the University of Oregon’s Clark Honors College. He received a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.