John Hamre

John Hamre is a nationally respected nonprofit executive and fundraising leader with more than three decades of experience building, scaling, and sustaining mission-driven organizations that serve veterans and individuals with disabilities. He brings a rare combination of strategic vision, operational discipline, and deep institutional knowledge of veteran service organizations to the Red Star Foundation.

John spent over 20 years helping build the Wounded Warrior Project into one of the largest and most effective veteran nonprofits in the country. As Executive Vice President of Direct Response, he led all direct response fundraising efforts across direct mail, digital, and direct response television. During his tenure, he helped grow the organization from a small, early-stage nonprofit into a national institution, overseeing the development of fundraising systems and revenue channels that generated more than $3.4 billion and accounted for the majority of the organization’s lifetime revenue. He was instrumental in establishing donor databases, diversifying revenue streams, and creating scalable infrastructure to support long-term growth.

Prior to Wounded Warrior Project, John served veterans for more than a decade through the United Spinal Association, formerly the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, where Wounded Warrior Project itself originated. His work has consistently focused on strengthening organizations that serve wounded, disabled, and at-risk veterans, with a strong emphasis on accountability, transparency, and impact.

In addition to his executive leadership, John has a lifelong commitment to adaptive sports and veteran advocacy. He is the President of the Wheelchair Sports Federation, a national volunteer nonprofit providing adaptive sports opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Memorial Day Foundation in Brooklyn, New York.

John holds an MBA from New Hampshire College and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Stonehill College. Although he did not serve in the military himself, he comes from a deeply military-connected family and has worked alongside veterans from World War II through the post-9/11 generation throughout his career.

At Red Star Foundation, John brings unmatched experience in building durable nonprofit systems, scaling fundraising responsibly, and ensuring that mission and operations remain aligned. His leadership supports Red Star’s commitment to addressing military, veteran, and first responder suicide with seriousness, credibility, and long-term impact.