Ryan Van Slyke

Strategy + AI @ American Family Insurance | ClimateTech Startup Mentor | Musician & Arts Advocate | Focused on Stewardship & Servant Leadership

Greater Madison Area

About

Hi, I'm Ryan! I’m motivated by a simple idea: to leave the people, teams, and communities I’m entrusted with better than I found them. That commitment to service, stewardship, and impact has shaped how I’ve built my life and career—often without clean borders. I work at the intersection of disciplines, where problems are complex and progress requires both rigor and imagination. Professionally, that has taken the form of working across strategy, AI, capital allocation, and climate resilience. I’m particularly interested in how insurers, financial institutions, and investors navigate long-term risks and opportunities with clarity to allocate capital in ways that strengthen both organizations and the systems they operate within. I’m a generalist by design: broad enough to see across systems, deep enough to be useful in the details, and most energized when translating complexity into action. I often find myself connecting audiences, helping teams align, make decisions, and move forward with conviction. I also care deeply about how people experience the teams and institutions they belong to. I try to create trust, support growth, and help others see more possibility in themselves and their work—whether as a colleague, coach, or leader. Outside of my corporate work, that same sense of stewardship shows up through nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and the arts. I serve organizations focused on community development, education, and finance, and continue to work as a musician and arts advocate.

Experience

  • Principal Strategist - Enterprise Strategy at American Family Insurance
    Apr 2026 - Present · 4 mos

  • Climate Tech Startup Mentor at Cleantech Open
    Jan 2025 - Present · 1 yr 7 mos

    I mentor ClimateTech founders and startups as they go from 0-1, focusing on strategy, financials, partnerships, and GTM. Companies have included Seabridge AI and CleanEquity. I love working with amazing founders and walking alongside them as a coach.

  • Career Development and Transitions Coach at Leland
    Sep 2024 - Present · 1 yr 11 mos

    I coach early-career and experienced professionals navigating non-linear career paths across strategy, finance, AI, and impact-oriented roles. I've guided 40+ mentees to securing roles in consulting, finance, partnerships, and product, leading them through ambiguity, positioning, translating diverse backgrounds, and decision-making.

  • State Street (2 yrs 1 mo)
    • AVP - Enterprise AI & Analytics Lead
      2026 - 2026 · Less than a year

    • AVP - Corporate Venture Capital Principal
      2025 - 2026 · 1 yr

    • AVP - Fixed Income Portfolio Manager
      2024 - 2025 · 1 yr

  • Committee Member | Finance + Strategic Planning at Chorus pro Musica
    2025 - 2026 · 1 yr

    Contributed to organizational strategy and long-term financial planning as a member of the finance and strategic planning committees. Strategic Planning: Co-developed and updates mission and vision to guide growth and community impact for 75 year old organization. Donor Development: Produced impact reports for grant funders, strengthening external partnerships, funding continuity, and audience engagement. Financial Planning: Designed an investment strategy governing ~$275k in organizational assets.