Ragan graduated from SIT in Brattleboro, Vermont with an MA in International Development, and from Ole Miss with a BS in Business. With a personal interest in exploration, he provided sponsorship and support to the historic 2008 all Nepali female expedition to Mount Everest. The team, considered the most successful female expedition on the mountain, put all 10 members on the summit. He has also climbed with Russell Brice, and snowboarded with Craig Calonica on some of the world's highest peaks. In 2008, he narrowly escaped an avalanche on Annapurna South. He is an avid surfer regularly riding surf breaks in the Indian Ocean, off Africa's East Coast.