Ryan's Personal & Professional Story
Ryan's Personal Story
Ryan lived in Pitman most of his life. He was a wonderful husband to Shawn, adoring father to Avery, Adalynn and Maddux, a cherished son of Harry and Sheryl, and a treasured brother of Brent (Gabby) and Dante (Amanda). Ryan was a friend, grandson, nephew, cousin, uncle, and colleague, and did so well to embody each of these roles so enthusiastically, so uniquely, and so lovingly. He graduated from Pitman High School in 2001, and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Rowan University. Ryan was a Project Control Manager with Noblis MSD in Philadelphia and was a member of the Glassboro First United Methodist Church.
Ryan loved taking trips, enjoyed big family gatherings for holidays and celebrations, going to comedy shows, going to Phillies and Eagles games, and spending time by the pool with friends and family. He was a sports fanatic, loving the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies. Ryan had a wealth of sports knowledge which he loved discussing and debating. He was innately smart, funny, and competitive. He especially loved playing competitive wiffle ball and beer pong with friends.
Ryan was an avid reader, with great appreciation for education and professional growth. Professionally, Ryan led by expertise as well as example, embracing challenge and driving success through his positive attitude, leadership and deep connection with others. Ryan’s willingness to share his knowledge, and the genuine dedication he had to his role, colleagues, and customers impacted and inspired many.
From diagnosis in October of 2016 at the age of 33 until his passing in April of 2023 at the age of 39, Ryan courageously fought stage 4 colon cancer with enormous strength and grace. While enduring countless rounds of chemotherapy, surgeries and procedures, Ryan managed to still be a loving husband and father, and continued to achieve great professional success. He is truly an inspiration and his legacy will live on through his family, friends, and RYSTRONG initiatives. It is important to note that Ryan did not have any of the typical characteristics of someone with colon cancer. He was not old, overweight, or a smoker.
We will never stop fighting to find out why this happened to Ryan and while it continues to happen to so many other young people like him. RYSTRONG will inform others of colon cancer research, create awareness, encourage early screenings, support families struggling with cancer, fund research, provide scholarships, and give back to the community we love, all in honor of Ryan.
Ryan's Impact at Noblis
Ryan worked over nine years at McKean/Noblis in Project Control while also supporting various other functional groups including Finance, Pricing and Business Operations. He managed a large team of project controllers supporting the Warfare Development & Modernization and NAVSEA Divisions for Noblis MSD, which consists of 20+ active prime contracts with totaling over $500M. In addition to Ryan’s daily project control responsibilities, he supported integration efforts, process improvement initiatives, proposal efforts, and annual / quarterly financial forecasts.
In 2021, Noblis acquired McKean, Noblis’ largest acquisition ever. Integration of the two companies would be a massive effort and incredibly complex. From day one, Ryan was a leader. He played a key role in the integration of processes that directly impacted a wide range of crucial business areas. Ryan took on additional responsibility, trained people, and mentored his team through change. By his positive attitude and deep connection with others, he exemplified the best of Noblis’ culture. Ryan led by expertise as well as example, embracing challenge and driving success.
In 2022, Noblis launched the first annual Noblis Experience Corporate Award “to recognize employees who consistently exceed expectations in achieving our common purpose, demonstrating our service standards and creating an exceptional experience for clients, colleagues and partners.” Out of almost two thousand people who were eligible, Ryan was among the first to ever receive the award. His dedication and leadership have made a profound impact across Noblis and to all the employees that
worked with him over the years. One person who nominated Ryan wrote, “Ryan exemplifies all the Service Standards to such a high degree…I wouldn’t be able to pick only one that best describes him. There is no one I work with who better embodies what the Noblis Experience is ultimately all about…than Ryan McCleery.”
Everyone at McKean/Noblis benefited from Ryan’s understanding and approach to our business. His fingerprints are on many of the tools we use daily. He made the difficult jobs look easy and was a trusted partner to all of us. He was always willing to share his knowledge and he cracked the code of success in the way he helped others. His professionalism was second to none on how he ran the PCO and how he treated colleagues and customers, and he never once let his challenges impact how he approached the business. His strength serves as an inspiration to all of us and words cannot express how much he will be missed by his Noblis Family.