40 under 40 — Zach Ruyle

Tau Gamma, 2009 — Recognized in: 2020

Zach Ruyle is a brother from the Tau Gamma chapter. He graduated in 2009 and helped lead the transition for the chapter from it’s history at Grant Street to it’s current home on David Ross Road. Upon graduation, Zach entered the United States Navy. Doing so, refined the principles that he gained while an undergrad. Through his trials and tribulations, he has won several Naval awards, traveled some parts of the world, done things that people only dream about doing, and constantly fed his appetite for experiences and education.

Zach is currently attached to the White House Communications Agency where he acts as the leading subject matter expert in their Defensive Countermeasures Team/Emerging Technologies Team for their Cyber Defense Department while in D.C. While on the road, he acts as an Information Systems Technician which helps ensure the sanctity and constant ability for the President, Vice President, First Lady, and all supporting staff to communicate with the world.

The lessons he learned as an undergraduate and as a Zete still resonate with him today:

“First, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Once you overcome the barrier of asking for help, people will go out of their way to assist. Second, learn how to communicate. Communication is a vital asset in this world so how you do it and what you say matters, whether verbal or non-verbal. Third, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. If it wasn’t for me wandering around Purdue’s campus on a Thursday night and wanting to try something new, I wouldn’t have found my home, my friends, and my community that I enjoy being a part of.”