About John Halligan

Founder, Speaker and Author

John Halligan lost his thirteen-year-old son, Ryan, to suicide on October 7, 2003. At the time of his death, Ryan was a middle school student in Essex Junction, Vermont. After Ryan died, John and his family learned in much greater detail that Ryan had been ridiculed and humiliated by peers at school and online.

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In memory of his son, John spearheaded the Vermont Bullying Prevention bill, signed into law as Act 117 in May 2004, just months after Ryan’s death. He also successfully led the passage of Vermont’s law requiring suicide prevention education in public schools, Act 114, in April 2006.

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In May 2005, John shared Ryan’s Story for the very first time with a group of Vermont high school students. Other schools soon heard about the profound impact of that presentation and began inviting him to speak. Since then, John has presented at more than 2,500 schools across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, reaching over one million students.

John has appeared on several national television programs, including Primetime with Diane Sawyer, PBS Frontline, and Oprah. He also spoke at the United Nations Cyberhate Seminar in 2009.

John’s mission is to inspire a positive shift in school culture by helping students understand the real impact of bullying, online cruelty, and bystander behavior. Through student assemblies, parent programs, educator presentations, and his books, he encourages young people to choose kindness, ask for help when they are struggling, and become upstanders for others.

John is the recipient of several awards, including:

IBM Community Service Award 2005

Kids Safe Collaborative Community Service Award 2008

United Way's Home Town Hero Award 2008

Children Abuse Prevention Services Community Award 2009

The FBI Director's Community Service Award 2009

The Learning Channel Give A Little Award 2017

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In 2026, John published newly revised Second Editions of his two Ryan’s Story books. Ryan’s Story: A Father’s Hard-Earned Lessons About Cyberbullying and Suicide is written for parents, educators, counselors, coaches, and youth leaders. Ryan’s Story: Loved Beyond Belief is written directly for middle and high school students.

Both books have been fully updated for today’s social media landscape, including smartphones, online cruelty, sextortion, disappearing messages, AI companions, and the pressures students face every day online. More than two decades after Ryan’s death, John continues to share Ryan’s Story because the need for honest conversations about bullying, suicide prevention, digital responsibility, and kindness has never been greater.