Ryan Dunlap

Ryan Dunlap is a conflict management coach, strategist, and keynote speaker with a career spanning more than two decades in law enforcement, ministry, and executive leadership. Dunlap, a former SVU detective, SWAT hostage negotiator, and crisis intervention officer, has facilitated hundreds of high-stakes interviews, interrogations, and negotiations. As a certified DCJS instructor and field training officer, he developed and led training programs for law enforcement personnel, focusing on conflict resolution and organizational leadership.

Following his law enforcement career, Dunlap transitioned into executive ministry and nonprofit leadership. He served as pastor and executive director of operations for Victory Church in Atlanta, overseeing a $20 million operations budget and leading operational readiness and enterprise-wide alignment during an organizational restructure. Dunlap later served as executive director of Street Grace, an anti-human trafficking organization, guiding its expansion into Tennessee, while also serving as executive pastor of leadership and development at City Light Church in Chattanooga. His experiences in executive leadership highlighted the need for effective conflict management strategies in organizational settings.

Dunlap is a certified leadership coach and founder and chief conflict officer at Conflictish, a conflict strategy firm that helps leaders improve conflict management skills. He is the creator of "The Real Tact Model," a framework for developing conflict competency, which has been shared with leaders from organizations such as McDonald's, Citi, Verizon, Chick-fil-A, Lodge Cast Iron, and Yale's Berkeley Seminary. Dunlap has coached leaders in industries including biotech, government, nonprofit, faith-based, healthcare, pharmaceutical, education, food and beverage, and commercial construction.

He is the author of "How to Untie a Balloon: A Negotiator's Guide to Avoid Popping Under Pressure," which offers strategies for managing stress, mastering conflict management, and building emotional resilience. The book explores the effects of pressure on decision-making, relationships, and emotional well-being, using the metaphor of a balloon to illustrate the impact of unmanaged stress and unresolved conflict.

Dunlap's insights on conflict resolution, crisis intervention, and organizational leadership reach a global audience of more than 850,000, with a monthly reach exceeding 6 million people. He is a PhD candidate, reflecting his commitment to advancing the science and practice of conflict competency. Whether on stage, in the boardroom, or in print, Dunlap provides a grounded perspective on leadership and conflict management.