Tim Schumacher serves as the President and CEO of the Woody Williams Foundation (WWF). Before his appointment at the WWF in 2026, Tim spent 23 years in the United States Army as a Special Forces officer including multiple combat rotations in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Throughout this time, he played an active and pivotal role in both recognizing and supporting Gold Star Families across the Special Operations Community and developed a passion to continue this support long after moving on from his military career.
As an advocate, Tim has seen firsthand the healing power of both bringing Gold Star families together and leveraging the greater community through remembrance, memorialization, and dedication. As a mentor of his once said, “a true mark of any great organization is how they remember and honor their fallen” and there’s no better way to do this than supporting the families of those whose loved ones paid the ultimate sacrifice. This is the epitome of what the foundation stands for in living the values and commitment that Hershel “Woody” Williams showed toward Gold Star families.
Tim was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and attended the United States Military Academy (West Point) where he graduated with degrees in Business Management and Civil Engineering and received his commission in 2002. His first assignment was with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado where he deployed twice to Iraq before attending the Special Forces Selection and Qualification Course. Upon completion of the course, he was assigned to 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) where he held various positions which culminated in him serving as the Group Executive Officer. His final position was with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) with duty at Human Resources Command (HRC) at Fort Knox, Kentucky where he was the Division Chief for Special Management Division. His military schools include Air Assault, Airborne, Ranger, Special Forces (SF) Qualification, and SF Freefall (HALO). His major awards include a Legion of Merit, five Bronze Star Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and Combat Action Badge. He also earned a Masters Degree in Strategic Security Studies from the National Defense University and completed Leadership Louisville.