Ryan Leadership Institute Alumni

Each cohort or “class” is built in the Junior college year and capped by completion of an on-campus major leadership project Senior year.

All of this takes place in a Salesian framework, which begins each gathering with a time of prayer in the model which St. Francis de Sales taught us.

You will hear from such diverse “coaches” as Bobby McFerrin, Maxie Maltsby, Edwin Land, and of course the Saints themselves as you discover your own particular gifts and talents.

• To support the future life and work of the Church, by fostering a deeper commitment to the Roman Catholic faith and to campus/parish communities
• To disseminate the distinctive charism of Salesian Spirituality, by providing a more in-depth education in this religious tradition
• To effect a transformation of individuals, by developing an awareness of personal talents and inter-personal communications
• To inspire future leadership of self and others, by developing practical skills through individual reflection, expert coaching, and group activities
• To effect a transformation of culture, by enacting the spiritual and personal dynamics of the institute through leadership in student, civic, and ecclesiastical organizations

Students also benefit:

• personally—forging relationships that positively influences one's future
• spiritually—seeing how faith is a key component to human happiness in any career
• educationally—learning skills taught in the best executive training programs in the corporate world

1990: During an executive leadership retreat, Timothy C. Flanagan felt a profound calling to bring the best in leadership and personal development programs to the Catholic Church. To help people understand their purpose in life and to reach their God-given potential as leaders in our world, he founded the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). 

1999: Matt Manion (married to Kerrianne Dougherty ’96), volunteered to serve CLI, and, four years later became its President/CEO. Under Matt’s leadership, the programs were revised to include college and university groups. 

2004: Faculty Oblates approached CLI with a proposal to reflect the distinctive teaching of St. Francis de Sales into the leadership training experience at DeSales.

2005: In collaboration with CLI, the first cohort began the two-year pilot program during the 2005-2006 academic year.

2012: Members of the Ryan Family Foundation established an endowment to honor the founding role in this Institute played by their parents, Jane and Frank Ryan, and to provide a stable financial foundation for its future.