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In Memoriam

Ryan Long

NHASP President 2019-2020

For more information about Ryan’s career, visit his LinkedIn page.

And please consider making a donation to support Ryan’s surviving son, which can be made on this GoFundMe page called Help support the youngest Long child.

Remembrances

I knew Ryan and had several contacts with him in recent years.  I knew him to be a consummate, well-rounded, and dedicated School Psychologist.  He was committed to the discipline, to being active in NHASP, and readily available for consultation and commiseration.  He had a fun sense of humor and seemed to be an all-round good guy.

Ryan was a good man with a big heart and a big personality.  He was smart, funny, outgoing and confident, eager to learn and willing to speak his mind.  Ryan was an outstanding clinician who cared deeply about the work he did, the children and families he served, and the vibrancy of the field of school psychology.  Ryan was a passionate advocate who will be missed by all those whose lives he touched, both in his professional and personal world.

Ryan was a valued and respected colleague of mine.  While we did not work together consistently, our paths crossed many times over the course of nine years.  Often in times of vulnerability for our personal lives, such as his cancer diagnosis.  Ryan was a quick-thinking problem solver.  He could hold both big picture and details in his perspectives.  I truly appreciated his thinking process and his ability to pivot.  Even more, there was an ease and comfort in talking with Ryan.  He was professional but incredibly personable.  I feel so grateful to have had our connection over a near decade and will miss him, his kindness, and his feedback forever.

Back in my days as a doctoral student at USM, I became interested in eventually seeking credentialing in both Maine and New Hampshire.  My supervisor at the time connected me with Ryan, as he had some previous experience navigating a similar process.  Even though we didn’t know each other, Ryan immediately made time for a call, and was so patient and helpful on the phone. (I could hear him supporting his toddler at the time as well!) Ryan’s willingness to help out a grad student was emblematic, I think, of the attitude he showed through this career.  He touched my life for the better, and will be missed.

I was on the NHASP Board with Ryan when he was President.  It’s true what they say: he lit up a room!  I recall often sitting near him at conferences and feeling like I was in middle school trying not to laugh with the kid next to me while the speaker was teaching.  Other than his light hearted nature, he was knowledgeable and passionate about the profession.  Because I was involved in NHASP during my early career, I often relied on him and others I met through the organization to give me advice or support, which meant a lot to me.

Ryan was a graduate student of mine some years back, and we kept in touch over the years.  He was a student whom no teacher could forget.  It is difficult to talk about him in the past tense.  He was very upbeat, intelligent, enthusiastic, inquisitive, funny, energetic, perceptive, and personable.  Being in his presence was always an uplifting experience.  He left a part of himself in everyone with whom he came in contact.  He will be missed by many people whose lives he touched for a very long, long time.  It was a great pleasure having him in class as he shared his insights and asked probing questions.  Bad things do happen to good people, and Ryan was among the best.

I was lucky enough to get to be a classmate of Ryan’s in the doctoral program at USM.  There are so many memories – he was already a practicing school psychologist when he entered the program, and he was so helpful and supportive to his classmates like me who were newer to the field.  On occasion, he would bring his beloved dog Pepper to campus, which was always a joy.  The things I will remember most, though, are the laughs.  Ryan had a way of taking challenging times and finding humor, and for me, the most memorable will always be stats class.  We had to take two semesters of stats, and it was so challenging!  Our little study group would often get together before class to work on assignments together and just try to get a better grasp on some tough material.  On one particularly challenging day, Ryan decided we needed a motivational song to help us through, and he played that song “You’re the Best” from Karate Kid – it pretty much became our theme song after that.  This was probably about 12 years ago, and I still think of him every time I hear it… and I think I always will.

If you know Ryan at all, you know he loved a good intellectual debate.  Our last conversation was a back-and-forth conversation about the measurability of an IEP goal, which is the epitome of Ryan's personality.  He was my go-to for information on the DSM-V, testing batteries, and evidence-based intervention.  He made me not only a better debater, but he made me a better practitioner in many ways. He will be deeply missed.

Although I never worked with Ryan, I do remember him for his strong leadership and fine sense of humor.  I attended a couple of hearings about Medicaid to Schools with him.  It was several years ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but I do remember being very impressed with how easily he communicated with the committee.  Ryan was passionate and knowledgeable about the importance of utilizing Medicaid funds to support students needing behavioral health services in the schools.  The people there responded well to him.  I believe his efforts led the committee to support using Medicaid funds for behavioral health services provided by School Psychologists in the schools.  He was a great guy and a wonderful colleague.

Ryan and I attended an assessment class through the school psychology program at PSU in 2010 or 2011 with Peter Whelley as our professor.  We connected over a common link in my sister, with whom Ryan previously attended another graduate program.  It was comforting to have him in class, and to connect with him in subsequent years and through shared professional paths, for that family connection and for his sense of humor. 

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