Ryan McDonald is a teacher, writer, and ultramarathon enthusiast who has spent the past decade building writing center communities in the Middle East. After earning his BA in English Literature and History and later his Master’s in the Science of Teaching English at the State University of New York, he taught abroad before settling in Muscat, Oman, where he worked for the past eleven years as a course coordinator and director of the writing center at Sultan Qaboos University.

Since 2016 Ryan has been an active board member of the Middle East and North Africa Writing Center Alliance (MENAWCA), serving in roles from President to Treasurer and helping organize conferences, training sessions, and workshops throughout the region. His current research explores the ecology of writing center spaces, the role of generative AI in composition, and how feedback can actually be practical (and not just paperwork).

When he’s not teaching, Ryan is either out on the trails training for his next ultramarathon or working on his own writing, finding that both are products of hard work, patience, and reflection.​​