Ryan M. Gallucci was appointed Executive Director of the VFW Washington Office on March 1, 2023. He is responsible for day-to-day VFW operations in the nation’s capital, as well as all engagements with the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, foreign dignitaries, and peer veteran service organizations. Ryan is the first post-9/11 veteran to hold the position. In addition to his role position as Executive Director, Ryan was duly appointed as Assistant Adjutant General on July 27, 2023.

He started as a VFW employee in June 2011. His past roles with the VFW include deputy executive director; National Veterans Service (NVS) director; NVS deputy director; and National Legislative Service deputy director. Ryan is a life member of VFW Post 3150 in Arlington, Va.

During his time with the VFW, Ryan was instrumental in the implementation of numerous veteran-focused initiatives, including modernizing the VFW’s cornerstone benefits assistance program, which assisted veterans continuously during the COVID-19 pandemic. He worked directly with Congress and federal agencies to craft and implement transition and education policies benefiting veterans, such as in-state tuition protections and redesigning the Transition Assistance Program. He served as advisor, and later chairman, on the Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach, providing feedback to the Department of Labor and Congress on the employment needs of veterans and the efficacy of federal employment programs for veterans. He also established the VFW-SVA Legislative Fellowship program, which offers exemplary student veterans the opportunity to learn about veterans’ advocacy hands-on in Washington. Ryan is a native of North Kingstown, R.I. He served in the Army Reserve from June 1999 to June 2007, and served in the Iraq War from 2003 to 2004 as a civil affairs sergeant with the 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion. For his service, he received the Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge. Ryan used his G.I. Bill benefits to attend college, interned as a public affairs specialist at the Naval War College, and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and political science from the University of Rhode Island. His prior experience includes public relations work for Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy and Susan Davis International, as well as deputy communications director for American Veterans (AMVETS). He and his wife, Katie, reside in Arnold, Maryland, with their daughters, Lily and Mia