Ryan Pavel

Ryan Pavel serves as Warrior-Scholar Project’s chief executive officer, channeling a deeply-held conviction that enlisted veterans have unlimited potential to leverage military service into enormous impact in higher education and beyond.

At the age of 17, Ryan enlisted in the Marine Corps, culminating in two non-combat deployments to Iraq. Ryan then earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan and J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. His teaching experience includes working as a Teach For America corps member at an inner-city Detroit high school and as an adjunct instructor at Virginia Military Institute. Ryan has also worked for a variety of legal institutions, including legal aid organizations and a large national law firm.

Ryan is committed to bridging divides through action-oriented civic engagement. He currently serves on the Board of the Union League Club of Chicago, an institution committed to community and country. He has previously served as a fellow in the Obama Foundation Leaders USA program and a working group lead of the George W. Bush Institute’s Veteran Higher Education Task Force.

Ryan loves spending time with his beautiful family, escaping to the outdoors to conquer swing sets or climb mountains.