Kenneth J. Ratashak

Deputy Director
 
Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth J. Ratashak, USA, Retired serves as the Foundation's Deputy Director.  LTC Ratashak is a distinguished 20-year career veteran with expertise in surface to air weapon systems, operational planning and leadership development.  Ratashak has resided in North Carolina for the last eight years with assignments at Fort Bragg and North Carolina State University (NCSU). Throughout his career he has been an adaptive leader on the cutting edge of change. He has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to be a strong ambassador for the military and develop partnerships in communities throughout North Carolina.
 
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ratashak served as Professor of Military Science at NCSU,  where he developed and implemented initiatives to expand the student learning experience, including Project GOLD– a national initiative which encourages ROTC students to enroll in critical strategic language courses and participate in study abroad programs.The formation of Project GOLD has also led to NC State receiving a federal grant to establish a pilot program for a language training center to provide foreign language instruction to the United States Army Special Operations Command. 
 
LTC Ratashak also served as a member of the UNC Systemwide Evaluation and Recommendation for Veteran Education Services (UNC SERVES), an organization that seeks to improve the educational services for military members and their families.
 
LTC Ratashak has vast experience serving overseas, including combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In Iraq, he was one of the first Rapid Equipping Force (REF) team leaders, where he identified solutions to material problems and secured the necessary funding to provide over $5 million worth of commercial technology to US Army units.  While serving with the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan, he applied proactive, adaptive leadership to guide a diverse alliance of Special Forces units, Provincial Reconstruction Teams, Non-Governmental Organizations, and United Nation representatives to collaborate on over $140 million of development projects. 
 
Other experience abroad includes facilitating the establishment of the Czech Republic reconstruction team by acquiring the necessary fixed assets and infrastructure to integrate more than 190 Czech Republic civilian and military personnel into the NATO forces.
LTC Ratashak’s unique leadership experiences on and off the field will advance the North Carolina Military Foundation’s efforts to support the state’s defense and homeland security economy through increased partnerships between academia, military, business and the community at home and abroad.  His appointment will solidify the Foundation’s ongoing partnership with the University of North Carolina and the U.S. Special Forces.
 
Ratashak earned a BA from Northwest Missouri State University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.  He is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College.