President Obama on Monday will nominate former Procter & Gamble Chief Executive Robert McDonald for secretary of Veterans Affairs, according to a senior official.
“McDonald’s personal and professional history make him the perfect person to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs during this important time,” the administration official told Reuters.
If confirmed by the Senate, McDonald would take over a Veterans Administration recently found to have been plagued by delays in military veterans getting healthcare at VA facilities. Last week, a White House review found significant and chronic failures across the board at the Veterans Administration and evidence that a “corrosive culture” prevails.
McDonald retired from Procter & Gamble last June, ending a 33-year career that began with entry level position in brand marketing, and ended with him in charge of 120,000 employees in 180 countries.
Described by his colleagues as a “master at complex operations,” the White House said, McDonald is also a West Point graduate and decorated former Army Captain. His father fought in World War II, and his uncle, a Vietnam veteran, still receives care through the VA.