Will Ryan Bio

I grew up in Mountain Lakes, NJ--an idyllic, small town with 5,000 residents, many of whom I knew by name. My parents were both in sales, and our typical dinner conversation was about following up with prospects and closing sales. No surprise that I was naturally drawn to selling. I started young—running a concession stand with my best friend at our town beach when we were both 13.

I went to Brown University in Providence, RI on scholarship. I remained in Providence and began my work career with IBM first as a systems engineer and later as a salesman. I married my first wife a year after graduation.

My work career has been a combination of sales, information systems and teaching, mostly with major corporations in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Today, I teach Oral Communications at Berkshire Community College in Great Barrington, MA. And, of course, I’ve been teaching in Toastmasters for nearly all of my years since joining in 1984.

I attended my first Toastmasters meeting in the Pan Am building in New York City. I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the room, but before the meeting was over, I felt at home. When I decided to move to the Berkshires in 1990, I wanted to complete my CTM quickly. In NYC there’s a club in nearly every neighborhood, so I made my last four speeches in three weeks speaking at four different clubs.

When I arrived in the Berkshires, there was one Toastmasters club—Last Word in Pittsfield, MA. Today there are six clubs—including my home club in Great Barrington, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. I am also club mentor and a charter member of ProSpeakers in Springfield, MA.

Although I occasionally do consulting engagements, these days I am mostly involved in teaching and leadership in Toastmasters. Toastmasters lights me up since it’s the only adult organization I know of that is devoted to supporting members as they find their voices and develop leadership abilities.

I joined Toastmasters to develop my speaking abilities, but I’ve stayed an active member all these years to be an integral part of other members’ personal growth. I consider my years as a member of the Senior Team like a PhD program in leadership. I’m learning how to lead in a volunteer organization. It’s quite different from being a corporate executive. Anyone who masters leadership in Toastmasters can lead or manage anywhere.

I am married to Susanna Opper (ACG), and we live in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. I have two sons, Bill and Mike, from my first marriage and three grandchildren. All of them live north of Atlanta, much too far away. However, our family vacations are wonderful.