Lieutenant General Robert R. Ruark, USMC (Ret.), became the 25th President and Chief Executive Officer of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in late 2022. The Society provided a record $50M in financial assistance and relief to Sailors, Marines and their families in 2023.

He most recently served nearly 4 years as the Chief Executive Officer at the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation following a 36-year career in the Marine Corps. During his tenure at the Scholarship Foundation, he oversaw significant growth of their client base, scholarship students, average award amounts, outreach and endowment. In 2021, the Scholarship Foundation awarded over 2500 scholarships worth $9M to the sons and daughters of Marines and Navy Corpsmen who served with Marines.

LtGen Ruark graduated from Miami University (Ohio) via the NROTC program in 1981 and began his career at 2d Battalion, 3d Marines in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, making 3 Western Pacific deployments. Subsequent tours included duties as a Series and Company Commander at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC; in various command and staff positions during multiple Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments at 2d Force Service Support Group, and as the Humanitarian Intervention Officer at the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, deploying in 1997 to Kigali, Rwanda. As a Lieutenant Colonel, he attended Penn State University as the Marine Corps Fellow to the SMEAL College of Business. As a Colonel, he commanded Combat Logistics Regiment 35 in Okinawa where his Marines and Sailors earned the 2007 Phoenix Award as the top Maintenance Unit in the Department of Defense.

From 2008-9 he served as the Commanding General of 1st Marine Logistics Group, Multi-National Forces West during combat operations in Iraq. Subsequent assignments included the Director of Logistics J-4 for the US Central Command during Operations IRAQI FREEDOM/ENDURING FREEDOM, Director of the Logistics, J-4, The Joint Staff; and as the Military Deputy to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.

He is married to LCDR Christine Coetzee, USN (Ret), who served initially as a Marine Officer and later as a Navy Orthopedic Physician Assistant.
They reside in Arlington, VA and enjoy working on their farm in Prince William County and taking care of their 2 shar-peis.