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Bob McDonald (businessman)

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Not to be confused with Bob McDonnell, the 71st Governor of Virginia.

Bob McDonald
McDonald in 2014
8th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In office
July 30, 2014 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
DeputySloan Gibson
Preceded byEric Shinseki
Succeeded byDavid Shulkin
Personal details
Born
Robert Alan McDonald

(1953-06-20) June 20, 1953 (age 71)
Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDiane McDonald
Children2
EducationUnited States Military Academy (BS)
University of Utah (MBA)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1975–1980
RankCaptain
Unit82nd Airborne Division
AwardsMeritorious Service Medal[1]

Robert Alan McDonald (born June 20, 1953) served as the eighth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He is the retired chairman, president, and CEO of Procter & Gamble.[2] In 2014 he became Secretary of Veterans Affairs.[3][4]

Early life and education

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McDonald was born on June 20, 1953, in Gary, Indiana, and grew up in Chicago.[5] He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West 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 the 82nd 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 the University of Utah in 1978.[11] Upon leaving the military he received the Meritorious Service Medal.[12]

Career

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Procter & Gamble

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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. As chief executive officer, McDonald oversaw a $10 billion restructuring plan.[15][16][17]

Amid the 2008 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 predecessor and replacement A.G. Lafley.[18] He resigned from P&G in 2013 following pressure from the company board and activist investors such as Bill Ackman; he was replaced by his predecessor A.G. Lafley, who returned from retirement.[19][20][21]

In 2014, McDonald led a community-based task force to help the city of Cincinnati renovate its Museum Center, which succeeded when Hamilton County passed a tax levy to fund the initiative.[22][23]

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid meeting with Veterans Affairs nominee Robert McDonald on July 16, 2014

McDonald succeeded Eric Shinseki, who resigned in 2014, due to the Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014.[24]

In 2014, U.S. President Obama nominated McDonald to the Cabinet 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 the United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the full Senate by unanimous vote.[31][4]

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 in 2019.

McDonald opposed privatization of the VA. Donald Trump replaced him with David 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 the U.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 told The Huffington 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 2024 Sylvanus 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]

Affiliations

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McDonald is Chairman of the Board of the West Point Association of Graduates,[44] and Chairman of the Board of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.[45] He currently serves on the Audia Group and Every Cure Board of Advisors.[46][47]

Philanthropy

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McDonald and his wife, Diane, founded the McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character.[48]

McDonald donated a statue of General Ulysses S. Grant that was unveiled on April 25, 2019, on The Plain at West Point.[49]

Recognition

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In 2010, the University 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, the American 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 the George 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 nominee Joe Biden to be a member of his transition team's advisory board.[56]

In 2007, McDonald received the inaugural Leadership Excellence Award from the U.S. Naval Academy and Harvard Business Review. He served on the Board of Directors of Xerox,[57] the McKinsey Advisory Council,[58] and the Singapore International Advisory Council of the Economic Development Board.[59]

Personal life

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McDonald and his wife, Diane, have two children.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Holland, Steve (June 29, 2014). "Obama to nominate former P&G CEO Bob McDonald as veterans secretary". Reuters. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Bob McDonald Biography". Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "Obama selects former Procter and Gamble executive Robert McDonald to head Veterans Affairs".
  4. ^ a b Profile, periodicalpress.senate.gov; accessed February 24, 2015.
  5. ^ Pace, Julie. "Obama picks former Procter & Gamble head Robert McDonald to lead Veterans Affairs". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Eilperin, Juliet (June 29, 2014). "Bob McDonald, former P&G chief, to be Obama's nominee to lead Veterans Affairs". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Member Profile: Robert A. McDonald". Horatio Alger Association. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Alexander, Antoine (June 30, 2014). "Reports: Former P&G chief Robert McDonald to lead Veterans Affairs". Drug Store News. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  9. ^ "[Podcast] #4: Bob McDonald – Army Veteran, Secretary of Veterans Affairs - VA News". news.va.gov. November 11, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Norton, Jerry (November 11, 2020). "We're thankful for our student and alumni Veterans!".
  11. ^ "University of Utah grad has ambitious plans as new CEO of P&G". Desert News (Associated Press). June 11, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  12. ^ "Bennet Joins Senate to Confirm New VA Secretary". Senate.gov. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  13. ^ "Bob McDonald Biography". Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  14. ^ Reingold, Jennifer (February 25, 2013). "Can P&G's CEO Hang On?". Fortune. 167 (3): 66–75.
  15. ^ "UPDATE 4-P&G posts solid quarter, gives CEO more breathing room". reuters.com. January 25, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  16. ^ "Procter & Gamble to unveil restructuring plan this year". bizjournal.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  17. ^ Edwards, Jim. "P&G CEO Bob McDonald Steps Down After Pressure From Bill Ackman, Activist Investor". businessinsider.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Oppel, Richard A. Jr. (June 30, 2014). "V.A. Nominee McDonald Faced Criticism at Procter & Gamble". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  19. ^ Isidore, Chris. "Ackman wins, P&G dumps CEO". CNNMoney. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  20. ^ "Return of P&G's former CEO puts his reputation at stake | Seattle Times Newspaper". old.seattletimes.com. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  21. ^ "Robert A. McDonald retiring from P&G". Reuters. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  22. ^ a b The Enquirer. "Bob McDonald ready for next act". www.cincinnati.com. The Enquirer. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  23. ^ The News Record (November 5, 2014). "Union terminal levy passes". www.newsrecord.org. The News Record. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  24. ^ Nelson, Colleen McCain; Ng, Serena (June 30, 2014). "Former Procter & Gamble CEO Tapped as New VA Secretary". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  25. ^ McDonald nominated as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, whitehouse.gov; accessed February 24, 2015.
  26. ^ "How VA became one of the most admired agencies in the federal government". fastcompany.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  27. ^ Rose, Francis. "McDonald's VA Web concept reveals real customer service challenge". federalnewsnetwork.com. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  28. ^ a b Konkel, Frank. "VA Secretary Bob McDonald announced 12 "breakthrough priorities" to Congress in early 2016". nextgov.com. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  29. ^ Buell, Ryan. "A Transformation Is Under Way at U.S. Veterans Affairs. We Got an Inside Look". Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  30. ^ "Remarks by the President at Nomination of Robert McDonald as Secretary of Veterans Affairs". whitehouse.gov. June 30, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2016 – via National Archives.
  31. ^ Senate committee unanimously supports McDonald confirmation as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, veterans.senate.gov; accessed February 24, 2015.
  32. ^ "VA Making Progress to Improve Service for Veterans" (PDF). Retrieved September 30, 2020.
  33. ^ "Jackson withdraws from nomination for VA Sec. TRANSCRIPT: 04/26/2018. The Rachel Maddow Show". MSNBC.com. April 27, 2018.
  34. ^ Huffington Post (February 24, 2015). "VA Secretary Robert McDonald Falsely Claimed He Served In Special Forces". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  35. ^ "VA announces 'MyVA' plan, largest reorganization in department's history". PBS News. November 10, 2014.
  36. ^ Verton, Dan (January 10, 2015). "McDonald makes good on pledge to restructure Veterans Affairs".
  37. ^ "VA chief pitches end to homelessness among vets". June 3, 2015.
  38. ^ "Quotient Technology Names Robert McDonald to Board of Directors". AP News. November 26, 2018.
  39. ^ "VA finally gets transparent on veteran wait times, clinical care quality". Healthcare IT News. April 13, 2017.
  40. ^ Wagner, Dennis. "A year later: VA struggles to improve care nationwide". The Arizona Republic.
  41. ^ Slack, Donovan. "Inaccurate VA wait times preclude thousands of vets from getting outside care, probe finds". USA TODAY.
  42. ^ Courant, Hartford (April 20, 2016). "New Report Cites Long Wait Times For VA Primary Care".
  43. ^ "Pres Barack Obama Thayer Award Acceptance Speech at West Point Sept. 19, 2024". September 19, 2024 – via YouTube.
  44. ^ "Board of Directors".
  45. ^ "Bob McDonald elected Board Chairman of Elizabeth Dole Foundation". www.elizabethdolefoundation.org.
  46. ^ "Quotient Technology Inc (QUOT-N) Quote - Press Release" – via www.theglobeandmail.com.
  47. ^ "Robert A. McDonald – Every Cure". everycure.org.
  48. ^ "Spotlight on Leaders". NY Times Education. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  49. ^ RecordOnline. "West Point unveils statue of Grant". www.recordonlilne.com. Times Herald-Record. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  50. ^ "Six National Honours Conferred for Significant Contributions to Singapore". www.mfa.gov.sg.
  51. ^ Hassler, Becky (May 23, 2017). "2017 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients".
  52. ^ Norton, Erika (October 8, 2024). "Bulls '78, McDonald '75, Named NACD 2024 Directors of the Year".
  53. ^ Heroes, Hiring Our (November 19, 2021). "Hiring Our Heroes Honors Former Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald". www.uschamberfoundation.org.
  54. ^ "NACD Announces 2024 Directorship 100 Honorees". www.nacdonline.org. October 7, 2024.
  55. ^ George W. Bush Presidential Center. "Bush Institute Announces Endowed Fellows to Advance Mission and Broaden Expertise". bushcenter.org. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  56. ^ "Biden expands transition team, adding key campaign allies and top Obama-Biden policy hands". CNN. September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  57. ^ "Robert McDonald, Director since: 2005". www.xerox.com.
  58. ^ "Bob McDonald - Thayer Development Group". www.thayerleaderdevelopment.com.
  59. ^ "International Advisory Council". www.edb.gov.sg.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
2014–2017 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Cabinet Member Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Cabinet Member 		Succeeded byas Former US Cabinet Member
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