About the Author

Ryan P. McDermott is an aerospace and defense strategy executive, former senior Pentagon official, combat veteran, and award-winning author of Downriver: Memoir of a Warrior Poet.

He currently serves as Vice President of Market Development at Robora Financial, where he leads go-to-market and business development initiatives across aerospace and defense, government contracting, nonprofits, and the Washington, DC metropolitan market. His career spans national security, finance, government, and industry, giving him a distinctive perspective on the intersection of military power, economic strength, and business strategy.

McDermott previously held senior leadership roles at the Aerospace Industries Association, where he served as Vice President for National Security Policy and Senior Director for Industrial Policy. He also served as a Highly Qualified Expert in the Department of the Air Force and as Vice President for Defense and Intelligence at the Professional Services Council.

At the Pentagon, McDermott served as Principal Director for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, with responsibility for policies affecting the resilience and competitiveness of the U.S. defense industrial base. Earlier, he served in Headquarters, Department of the Army, and worked in corporate finance and investment banking at Booz Allen Hamilton, Evercore, Barclays, and Lehman Brothers.

A graduate of the United States Military Academy, McDermott served as an infantry officer with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and led soldiers in combat during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, including operations at the Euphrates River and Saddam International Airport. His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device, Combat Infantryman Badge, Ranger Tab, Parachutist Badge, and Air Assault Badge.

McDermott holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. For his civilian service, he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.

Downriver has received multiple honors, including the Foreword INDIES Gold Award for War & Military nonfiction and the Military Writers Society of America Gold Medal, and earned a 9.5/10 rating from the BookLife Prize Critics Report.