Mr. Ryan Pavel of Chicago, Illinois serves as the Warrior-Scholar Project’s chief executive officer and holds a deeply held conviction that enlisted veterans have unlimited potential to leverage military service into an enormous impact in higher education and beyond. His work has a personal connection. At age 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps after he was not accepted to the college he expected to attend. He became an Arabic translator and served two non-combat deployments to Iraq. In 2023, he was selected for the inaugural cohort of the Obama Foundation Leaders USA, a nonpartisan leadership development program that seeks to inspire, empower and connect emerging leaders across the country. Ryan also serves as vice president of partnerships of the Veterans Leadership Council, which is connected to The George W. Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran Higher Education Task Force.

“I realize that being a veteran is a big part of who I am,” he said, “and I am fortunate to be able to connect that with my deep passion for education.”