Ryan Saunders is the Director of State Policy at the Learning Policy Institute. In this role, Saunders leads direct engagement with state policymakers on strategies to strengthen public education systems and advance access to high-quality teaching and learning. Saunders works across the education ecosystem to connect research to policy and practice, with particular expertise in supporting educator recruitment, retention, licensure, and preparation.

Saunders has led several multi-state initiatives at LPI, including the Teacher Licensure Collaborative, a 17-state network focused on strengthening systems of teacher licensure and preparation program approval and has co-led efforts to drive high school redesign and system transformation at the state level. He has also provided direct technical assistance to state education agencies, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia, on research-based policies to tackle teacher shortages, improve teacher preparation, and support school leadership.

Before joining LPI, Saunders worked at the Council of Chief State School Officers, supporting educator preparation improvement across states nationwide, with a focus on teacher preparation data systems, program approval, clinical partnerships, and recruitment and retention strategies. Earlier in his career, Saunders taught high school literature and social studies in Turkey, the Dominican Republic, and Denver, Colorado—an experience that grounds his policy work in a practitioner's understanding of what it takes to attract and keep good teachers in the classroom.

Saunders holds a Master in Teaching from The Evergreen State College and a BA from the University of Georgia.