WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Your Grateful Nation (YGN) is pleased to announce retired Army Colonel Robert Kirila has been appointed Executive Director and assumed responsibilities as of Dec. 15, 2017. As an alumni and active mentor of YGN, Kirila has unique experience that will help take YGN to the next level. He succeeds Robert Clapper, who helped launch the not-for-profit dedicated to transitioning special operations veterans into leadership positions in the public and private sectors.
“It’s an honor and privilege to lead YGN. As a former Special Forces Commander, YGN’s mission of helping special ops veterans is very personal to me,” Kirila said. “I look forward to expanding awareness of the value special ops veterans – and YGN – bring to corporate and not-for-profit organizations looking for loyal, resilient and capable talent. In just the three past years, YGN has placed 90 special operations veterans into decision-making positions. I’m excited to build on that impressive record of success as we help more veterans embark on their post-service careers.”
Kirila is a retired U.S. Army colonel and former Deputy Group Commander of the 7th Special Forces Group. Prior to accepting this position, Kirila was the COO of Defensewerx, an organization committed to assembling and leading collaborative efforts that result in rapid innovation and problem solving for the Department of Defense’s most challenging problems. He also is former Chapter President of the Association of the United States Army, a nonprofit education and professional development association that provides a voice for the Army, supports soldiers and honors those who have served in support of national security.
Board Chairman Craig Powell said, “We feel very fortunate to have Rob Kirila on board. Rob’s experience building and leading special forces teams combined with his first-hand experiences with YGN make him the perfect choice to guide YGN’s growth and take us to the next level to serve more special ops veterans at a greater scale.” He continued, “We also want to recognize former Executive Director Rob Clapper’s essential role in launching YGN and building the framework of the organization that’s driven our success to date. Rob has been a tremendous force in bringing us to where we are and we look forward to his continued involvement during this transition as well as wishing him the best as he continues to advocate for our nation’s veterans.”
YGN is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. It has received the Gold Standard Seal of Transparency from Guide Star, a leading independent charity information service. Only the top 5 percent of all non- profits achieve this recognition.
