Ryan Zinke

Zinke earned his B.S. in geology from the University of Oregon in 1984. He was a member of Oregon's football team and earned All-PAC 10 honors. He went on to receive his M.B.A. in finance from the National University in 1991. He then earned his M.S. in global leadership from the University of San Diego in 2004. Zinke was commissioned as an officer in the Navy in 1985. While in the Navy, Zinke was mission commander for SEAL Team Six in 1992. He was then ground force commander for Joint Special Operations Command in 1996. He was also a commander in a Joint Task Force in Bosnia and Kosovo in 1999 and 2001, respectively. In 2003, he was an executive officer at a SEAL Training Center. Zinke was deputy commander of CJSOTF-AP Special Forces in Iraq in 2004. In 2006, he was director of Naval Special Warfare Technology. He then worked as president/CEO of CDI in 2008. He retired from the Navy with the rank of commander in 2008. He was also president of Great Northern Peace Park Foundation in 2008.[9] Zinke is a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Montana's At-Large Congressional District from 2015 to 2017. Zinke was first elected to the House in 2014. He is also a former Republican member of the Montana State Senate, representing District 2 from 2009 to 2013. Zinke was previously a candidate for lieutenant governor of Montana in the 2012 election, but he and his running mate, Neil Livingstone, finished fifth in the primary election on June 5, 2012.