Ryan Woodruff did not see himself as CEO material when the board of Clear Path for Veterans chose him to lead the nonprofit organization in 2024.
Woodruff, a Marine combat veteran of the Iraq War, was running Clear Path’s canine program that trains service dogs for veterans around the country. Before that, he had been a dog trainer and a peer mentor, and also a veteran who himself struggled to adjust to civilian life.
At first, he said no. “I told them, ‘I’m not qualified for this. I didn’t go to some big university for leadership. I went for forestry in the Adirondacks. I was a grunt in the military.’ They said, ‘We need somebody like you to do this.’ “…