Deacon Rob Rysavy is a South Dakota native. After 12 years in Catholic school there, he graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1990. During his 24-year Air Force career, he was stationed in Florida, Oklahoma, Colorado (multiple times), and California, retiring in 2014 as a colonel.
Prior to coming to St. Mary's, he was the president of the Vitae Foundation, a pro-life research and marketing non-profit. He was ordained a permanent deacon in 2020.
He and Michelle are the parents of St. Mary's Pirates Alexandra '10, Robert '12, Mark '20, Elizabeth '22, Mary '24, and future Pirate Katharine '30.