Bob McDonald | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2014 | |
| 8thUnited States Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office July 30, 2014 – January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | Sloan Gibson |
| Preceded by | Eric Shinseki |
| Succeeded by | David Shulkin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Alan McDonald (1953-06-20)June 20, 1953 (age 72) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Diane McDonald |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) University of Utah (MBA) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1975–1980 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 82nd Airborne Division |
| Awards | Meritorious Service Medal[1] |
Robert Alan McDonald (born June 20, 1953) is an American businessman and former government official who served as the eighthUnited States secretary of veterans affairs from 2014 until 2017.[2][3] He was previously chairman, president, and CEO ofProcter & Gamble.[4]
McDonald was born on June 20, 1953, inGary, Indiana, and grew up in Chicago.[5] He graduated from theUnited States Military Academy atWest Point in 1975 in the top 2% of his class with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering.[6][7] At West Point he served as the Brigade Adjutant for the Corps of Cadets and was awarded the Silver Medal from the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce.[7][8] After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army for five years, primarily in the82nd Airborne Division, attaining the rank of captain,[6] He has completed Jungle, Arctic, and Desert Warfare Training, and has also earned the Ranger Tab, Expert Infantryman Badge, and Senior Parachutist Wings.[9][10] He earned an MBA from theUniversity of Utah in 1978.[11] Upon leaving the military he received theMeritorious Service Medal.[12]
McDonald joined Procter & Gamble in 1980[13] and worked in various roles before becoming president and Chief Executive in 2009.[14] He assumed the Chairman of the Board role 2010. Aschief executive officer, McDonald oversaw a $10 billion restructuring plan.[15][16][17]
Amid the2008 economic downturn, investors criticized McDonald for being too attached to P&G traditions, too slow to pursue layoffs and other cuts, and unable to produce new product innovations, particularly compared to his predecessorA.G. Lafley.[18] He resigned from P&G in 2013 following pressure from the company board and activist investors such asBill Ackman; he was replaced by Lafley, who returned from retirement.[19][20][21]
In 2014, McDonald led a community-based task force to help the city of Cincinnati renovate itsMuseum Center, which succeeded when Hamilton County passed a tax levy to fund the initiative.[22][23]
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McDonald succeeded Eric Shinseki, who resigned in 2014, due to theVeterans Health Administration scandal of 2014.[24]
In 2014, U.S. President Obama nominated McDonald to theCabinet position of United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.[25]
Another important decision by McDonald was the creation of the Veterans Experience Office[26] which addressed the critical concern of how Veterans received better service from the VA.
One of McDonald's first acts under the new office was the hiring of Tom Allin in 2015 as the agency's first chief veteran experience officer[27] to address the agency's treatment of veterans.
The decision by McDonald to bring private sector experience to VA in the hiring of Allin, and, his realignment the agency under 12 breakthrough priorities[28] created organizational change[29] that led to a reduction in disability claim backlogs for the agency, its lowest since 2009.[28]
Obama cited McDonald's business background with P&G and experience revitalizing organizations in his decision.[30] McDonald was approved by theUnited States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the full Senate by unanimous vote.[31][3]
McDonald recruited new medical personnel in the early months of his tenure at VA. As of June 2015, VA had increased onboard staff.[32]
McDonald opposed privatization of the VA. Donald Trump replaced him withDavid Shulkin, who also opposed privatization, and was also replaced.[33]
In 2015, McDonald admitted he misspoke trying to engage a homeless veteran about his serving in theU.S. Army Special Forces, a conversation that was recorded by a CBS television news crew accompanying him during a nationwide count of homeless veterans. However, he toldTheHuffington Post, which first broke the story, that "he was not in the special forces".[34]
McDonald implemented a new program called MyVA in order to help modernize VA's culture, processes, and capabilities.[35] The program expanded Veteran access by focusing on staffing, space, productivity, and VA Community Care while driving down a backlog of disability claims.[36] As a part of MyVA, strategic partnerships and collaborative relationships were created that cut veteran homelessness by half since 2010, and, helped 34 communities and three states to bring a functional end to Veteran homelessness.[37] Medical and surgical equipment supply chain reforms also achieved nearly $230 million in cost avoidance the very first year of the program.[38]
By the end of Secretary McDonald's tenure, Veterans at all VA Medical Centers had access to same-day services in primary care and mental health care.[39] In November 2016, nearly 97 percent of Veteran appointments were being completed within 30 days of the clinically indicated or Veteran's preferred date[40] and 85 percent were being completed within 7 days.[41] Average wait times for completed appointments were less than 5 days for primary care, about 6 days for specialty care, and under 3 days for mental health care.[42]
When receiving the 2024Sylvanus Thayer Award from the West Point Association of Graduates, former President Barack Obama stated that McDonald was "one of the best Secretaries of Veterans Affairs this country has ever had".[43]
McDonald is Chairman of the Board of the West Point Association of Graduates,[44] and Chairman of the Board of theElizabeth Dole Foundation.[45] He currently serves on the Audia Group and Every Cure Board of Advisors.[46][47]
McDonald and his wife, Diane, founded the McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character.[48]
McDonald donated a statue ofGeneral Ulysses S. Grant that was unveiled on April 25, 2019, on The Plain at West Point.[49]
In 2010, theUniversity of Utah Alumni Association named McDonald a Distinguished Graduate.[10]
In 2014, McDonald received the Public Service Star from the Republic of Singapore.[50]
The West Point Association of Graduates named McDonald for its Distinguished Graduate Award in 2017.[51][52] In 2021, theAmerican Chamber of Commerce Foundation gave Bob its President's Award for Lifetime Achievement.[53] In 2023, the New England Center and Home for Veterans gave McDonald its Distinguished Service to Veterans Award. McDonald was named the Non-Profit Director of The Year by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) in 2024.[54]
In July 2020, McDonald was appointed by theGeorge W. Bush Institute as the April and Jay Graham Fellow, where he serves as a member of the Military Service Initiative team.[55] In September 2020, McDonald was selected by presidential nomineeJoe Biden to be a member of his transition team's advisory board.[56]
In 2007, McDonald received the inaugural Leadership Excellence Award from theU.S. Naval Academy andHarvard Business Review. He served on the Board of Directors ofXerox,[57] the McKinsey Advisory Council,[58] and the Singapore International Advisory Council of the Economic Development Board.[59]
McDonald and his wife, Diane, have two children.[22]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs 2014–2017 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Cabinet Member | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Cabinet Member | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Cabinet Member |
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