American government official (born 1969)
Denis McDonough
Official portrait, 2021
Assumed office February 9, 2021President
Joe Biden Deputy
Donald Remy Guy Kiyokawa (acting)
Tanya J. Bradsher Preceded by
Robert Wilkie In office January 20, 2013 – January 20, 2017President
Barack Obama Preceded by
Jack Lew Succeeded by
Reince Priebus In office October 20, 2010 – January 20, 2013President Barack Obama Preceded by Thomas E. Donilon Succeeded by
Antony Blinken
Born Denis Richard McDonough
(1969-12-02 ) December 2, 1969 (age 54)
Stillwater, Minnesota , U.S.Political party
Democratic Spouse Karin Hillstrom Children 3 Education
St. John's University, Minnesota (
BA )
Georgetown University (
MS )
Denis Richard McDonough (born December 2, 1969) is an American government official serving under President
Joe Biden since 2021 as the eleventh
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs .
[1]
McDonough served in the
Obama administration as chief of staff at the
National Security Council from 2009 to 2010 and as
Deputy National Security Advisor from 2010 to 2013. He then served as
White House Chief of Staff for the full second term of President
Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017.
[2]
Early life and education
McDonough was born on December 2, 1969, in
Stillwater, Minnesota .
[3] He was one of 11 children in a devout
Irish Catholic family, his grandparents having
emigrated from
Connemara in the
Gaeltacht .
[4]
[5]
McDonough graduated from
Stillwater Area High School in 1988,
[6] then attended
Saint John's University in
Collegeville, Minnesota
[7] He played
safety on the
Johnnies football team for
Hall of Fame coach
John Gagliardi
[8]
[9] and was a member of teams that won two conference titles in the
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference . McDonough graduated from Saint John's University with a Bachelor of Arts,
summa cum laude , in history and Spanish in 1992. After graduation, he traveled extensively throughout
Latin America and taught
high school in
Belize .
[8]
In 1996, McDonough earned an
MSFS degree at
Georgetown University 's
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service .
[8]
Career
From 1996 to 1999, McDonough worked as an aide for the
United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs ,
[10] where he focused on Latin America.
[3] He then served as a senior foreign policy advisor to Senator
Tom Daschle .
[8] After Daschle's
reelection defeat in 2004 , McDonough became
legislative director for newly elected Senator
Ken Salazar .
[8] McDonough was a senior fellow at the
Center for American Progress in 2004.
[3]
In 2007, Senator Barack Obama's chief foreign policy advisor
Mark Lippert , a
Navy reservist , was called into active duty.
[11] Lippert recruited McDonough to serve as his replacement during his
deployment to Iraq .
[8]
[12] McDonough continued to serve as a senior foreign policy advisor to Obama during his
2008 presidential campaign .
[3]
[13]
Obama administration
McDonough, seated, third from right in blue shirt, in the
Situation Room during
the Bin Laden raid .
McDonough conferring with Obama about the
Cairo Speech , with
Ben Rhodes , on June 4, 2009.
After
Obama was elected president , McDonough joined the administration as the
National Security Council 's head of
strategic communication .
[10] He also served as
National Security Council chief of staff.
[14]
On October 20, 2010, Obama announced that McDonough would replace
Thomas E. Donilon as Deputy National Security Advisor, who had been promoted to succeed General
James L. Jones as
National Security Advisor .
[15] McDonough was seen in
photos of the White House Situation Room taken during the monitoring of the May 2011 SEAL operation in Pakistan that resulted in the
Osama bin Laden's death .
[16]
On January 20, 2013, at the beginning of his second term in office, Obama appointed McDonough his chief of staff.
[7] In February 2013 McDonough urged lawmakers to quickly confirm
Chuck Hagel and
John O. Brennan to their posts in Obama's national security team, expressing "grave concern" about the delays. McDonough served as White House chief of staff through the end of Obama's second term, which ended on January 20, 2017.
Return to private life
In 2017, McDonough joined the
Markle Foundation ,
[17] a nonprofit that aims to "transform America's outdated labor market to reflect the needs of the digital economy," boost employment opportunities, and expand job training for Americans. As a senior principal,
[18] he worked to grow the organization nationwide and broaden its work with governments such as the state of
Colorado , public institutions such as
Arizona State University , and private companies such as
LinkedIn .
[19]
[18]
McDonough is a professor of the practice at
Notre Dame 's Keough School of Global Affairs and a visiting senior fellow in
Carnegie 's Technology and International Affairs Program.
[20]
[17]
Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2021–present)
This section needs to be updated . Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (December 2023 )
McDonough being sworn in on February 9, 2021
Secretary McDonough with First Lady
Jill Biden and Secretary
Xavier Becerra , June 4, 2021
President
Joe Biden nominated McDonough to lead the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs .
[21] He appeared before the
Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on January 27, 2021. On February 8, the Senate confirmed McDonough as VA Secretary by a 87–7 vote, with six senators absent.
[22] McDonough is the second non-veteran to hold this position.
[23] Vice President
Kamala Harris swore him in on February 9.
[24]
Personal life
McDonough is married to Karin Hillstrom.
[5] They have three children.
[5]
References
^ @Transition46 (December 10, 2020).
"Working families, veterans, farmers and producers, and those fighting for their place in the middle class will have partners in government once again. This experienced group will help us make it through this pandemic and thrive once the crisis is over" (
Tweet ). Retrieved December 10, 2020 – via
Twitter .
^ Nakamura, David (November 26, 2021).
"Denis McDonough to be Obama's new chief of staff" . Washington Post .
ISSN
0190-8286 . Retrieved January 25, 2024 .
^
a
b
c
d
"The New Team" .
The New York Times . Retrieved December 18, 2020 .
^
"Who is Denis McDonough?" . Our Daily Thread. January 25, 2013. Archived from
the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013 .
^
a
b
c O'Dowd, Niall (January 25, 2013).
"Denis McDonough new Obama Chief of Staff deeply proud of his Irish heritage" . Irish Central . Retrieved February 3, 2018 .
^ Boldt, Megan (January 25, 2013).
"Denis McDonough: Obama picks Stillwater native as chief of staff" . St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved March 16, 2014 .
^
a
b
"Denis McDonough – Keough School – University of Notre Dame" . Retrieved January 21, 2019 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f Arthur Eisele (Winter 2009).
"At Home in the West Wing: An Interview with Denis McDonough '92" (PDF) . Saint John's Magazine . Archived from
the original (PDF) on January 4, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2010 .
^ Thayer Evans (September 18, 2009).
"No Whistles, No Tackling and No End in Sight for St. John's Coach" .
The New York Times . Retrieved October 23, 2010 .
^
a
b Garance Franke-Ruta (October 22, 2010).
"Denis McDonough: Five things worth knowing" . WhoRunsGov .
The Washington Post Company . Archived from
the original on October 25, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2010 .
^ Keating, Joshua E. (January 16, 2013).
"6 Things You Need to Know About Denis McDonough" . Foreign Policy . Retrieved January 22, 2019 .
^ Monica Langley (September 22, 2007).
"From the Campaign to the Battlefront" .
The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved October 23, 2010 .
^
"Obama's People" .
The New York Times Magazine . January 18, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2010 .
^ Helene Cooper (July 9, 2010).
"The Saturday Profile: The Adviser at the Heart of National Security" .
The New York Times . Retrieved October 23, 2010 .
^ Peter Baker (October 22, 2010).
"Obama Making National Security Appointment" . The New York Times . The Caucus Blog. Retrieved October 23, 2010 .
^
"Osama bin Laden Situation Room Photo: Where Are They Now?" . Time . Retrieved January 22, 2019 .
^
a
b
"Denis McDonough – Keough School – University of Notre Dame" . Retrieved December 18, 2018 .
^
a
b
"Denis McDonough Joins the Markle Foundation" . Markle | Advancing America's Future . February 13, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2019 .
^ Megan R. Wilson (February 15, 2017).
"Obama's chief of staff joins foundation with focus on jobs" .
The Hill . Retrieved June 27, 2018 .
^
"Denis McDonough" . Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . Retrieved December 10, 2020 .
^
"WATCH: VA Secretary nominee Denis McDonough testifies in Senate confirmation hearing" .
PBS NewsHour . January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021 .
^
"Roll Call Vote 117th Congress – 1st Session" . US Senate. February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021 .
^ Shane III, Leo (December 10, 2020).
"Biden to name former WH Chief of Staff Denis McDonough as VA Secretary nominee" . Defense News . Retrieved December 10, 2020 .
^ Wentling, Nikki (February 9, 2021).
"McDonough is sworn in as VA secretary; calls it the 'honor of my lifetime' " . Stars and Stripes . Retrieved February 9, 2021 .
External links
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# denotes acting secretary
* took office in 2009, raised to cabinet-rank in 2012
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Rahm Emanuel 2009–10
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James L. Jones 2009–10
Pete Rouse 2010–11
Thomas E. Donilon 2010–13
William M. Daley 2011–12
Susan Rice 2013–17
Jack Lew 2012–13
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Thomas E. Donilon 2009–10
Denis McDonough 2013–17
Denis McDonough 2010–13
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Antony Blinken 2013–14
Nancy-Ann DeParle 2011–13
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Rob Nabors 2013–15 Dep. National Security Advisor, Homeland Security
John O. Brennan 2009–13 White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations
Jim Messina 2009–11
Lisa Monaco 2013–17
Alyssa Mastromonaco 2011–14 Dep. National Security Advisor, Iraq and Afghanistan
Douglas Lute † 2009–13
Anita Decker Breckenridge 2014–17 Dep. National Security Advisor, Strategic Comm.
Ben Rhodes 2009–17 White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning
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Mark Lippert 2009
Kristie Canegallo 2014–17
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Counselor to the President
Pete Rouse 2011–13
Brooke D. Anderson 2011–12
John Podesta 2014–15
White House Communications Director
Ellen Moran 2009
Senior Advisor to the President
David Axelrod 2009–11
Anita Dunn 2009
David Plouffe 2011–13
Daniel Pfeiffer 2009–13
Daniel Pfeiffer 2013–15
Jennifer Palmieri 2013–15
Shailagh Murray 2015–17
Jen Psaki 2015–17 Senior Advisor to the President
Pete Rouse 2009–10 Deputy White House Communications Director
Jen Psaki 2009–11
Brian Deese 2015–17
Jennifer Palmieri 2011–14 Senior Advisor to the President and
Valerie Jarrett 2009–17 Amy Brundage 2014–16 Assistant to the President for Liz Allen 2016–17 Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
White House Press Secretary
Robert Gibbs 2009–11 Director,
Public Engagement
Tina Tchen 2009–11
Jay Carney 2011–13 Jon Carson 2011–13
Josh Earnest 2013–17 Paulette L. Aniskoff 2013–17 Deputy Press Secretary
Bill Burton 2009–11 Director,
Intergovernmental Affairs
Cecilia Muñoz 2009–12
Josh Earnest 2011–13 David Agnew 2012–14
Eric Schultz 2014–17
Jerry Abramson 2014–17 Director of Special Projects
Stephanie Cutter 2010–11 Director,
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Lawrence Summers 2009–10 Director, Speechwriting
Jon Favreau 2009–13
Gene Sperling 2011–14
Cody Keenan 2013–17
Jeff Zients 2014–17 Director, Digital Strategy
Macon Phillips 2009–13 Chair,
Council of Economic Advisers
Christina Romer 2009–10 Chief Digital Officer Jason Goldman 2015–17
Austan Goolsbee 2010–13 Director, Legislative Affairs
Phil Schiliro 2009–11
Jason Furman 2013–17
Rob Nabors 2011–13 Chair,
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Paul Volcker 2009–11
Katie Beirne Fallon 2013–16 Chair,
Council on Jobs and Competitiveness
Jeff Immelt 2011–13 Miguel Rodriguez 2016 Director,
Domestic Policy Council
Melody Barnes 2009–12 Amy Rosenbaum 2016–17
Cecilia Muñoz 2012–17 Director, Political Affairs
Patrick Gaspard 2009–11 Director,
Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Joshua DuBois 2009–13
David Simas 2011–16
Melissa Rogers 2013–17 Director, Presidential Personnel Nancy Hogan 2009–13 Director,
Office of Health Reform
Nancy-Ann DeParle 2009–11 Johnathan D. McBride 2013–14 Director,
Office of National AIDS Policy
Jeffrey Crowley 2009–11 Valerie E. Green 2014–15 Grant N. Colfax 2011–13 Rodin A. Mehrbani 2016–17 Douglas M. Brooks 2013–17
White House Staff Secretary
Lisa Brown 2009–11 Director,
Office of Urban Affairs
Adolfo Carrión Jr. 2009–10
Rajesh De 2011–12 Racquel S. Russell 2010–14 Douglas Kramer 2012–13 Roy Austin Jr. 2014–17 Joani Walsh 2014–17 Director,
Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy
Carol Browner 2009–11 Director, Management and Administration Bradley J. Kiley 2009–11
White House Counsel
Greg Craig 2009–10 Katy A. Kale 2011–15
Bob Bauer 2010–11
Maju Varghese 2015–17
Kathryn Ruemmler 2011–14 Director, Scheduling and Advance
Alyssa Mastromonaco 2009–11
Neil Eggleston 2014–17 Danielle Crutchfield 2011–14
White House Cabinet Secretary
Chris Lu 2009–13 Chase Cushman 2014–17
Danielle C. Gray 2013–14 Director, White House Information Technology
David Recordon 2015–17
Broderick D. Johnson 2014–17 Director,
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Reggie Love 2009–11 Beth Jones 2011–15
Brian Mosteller 2011–12 Cathy Solomon 2015–17 Marvin D. Nicholson 2012–17 Director,
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John Holdren 2009–17 Director,
Oval Office Operations
Brian Mosteller 2012–17
Chief Technology Officer
Aneesh Chopra 2009–12
Personal Secretary to the President
Katie Johnson 2009–11
Todd Park 2012–14
Anita Decker Breckenridge 2011–14
Megan Smith 2014–17
Ferial Govashiri 2014–17 Director,
Office of Management and Budget
Peter R. Orszag 2009–10
Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Jackie Norris 2009
Jack Lew 2010–12
Susan Sher 2009–11
Jeff Zients 2012–13
Tina Tchen 2011–17
Sylvia Mathews Burwell 2013–14
White House Social Secretary
Desirée Rogers 2009–10
Brian Deese 2014
Julianna Smoot 2010–11
Shaun Donovan 2014–17
Jeremy Bernard 2011–15
Chief Information Officer
Vivek Kundra 2009–11
Deesha Dyer 2015–17
Steven VanRoekel 2011–14
Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Ron Klain 2009–11 Tony Scott 2015–17
Bruce Reed 2011–13
United States Trade Representative
Ron Kirk 2009–13
Steve Ricchetti 2013–17
Michael Froman 2013–17
White House Chief Usher
Stephen W. Rochon † 2009–11 Director,
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Gil Kerlikowske 2009–14
Angella Reid 2011–17
Michael Botticelli 2014–17 Director,
White House Military Office George Mulligan 2009–13 Chair,
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Nancy Sutley 2009–14 Emmett Beliveau 2013–15 Michael Boots 2014–15 Dabney Kern 2016–17
Christy Goldfuss 2015–17
Position Appointee Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Steve Ricchetti Counsel to the Vice President
Cynthia Hogan Counselor to the Vice President
Mike Donilon Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison
Evan Ryan Assistant to the Vice President and Director of Communications
Shailagh Murray Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President
Shailagh Murray Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President
Brian P. McKeon Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and Second Lady
Carlos Elizondo National Security Adviser to the Vice President
Colin Kahl
* Ineligible to
act as president • ** Ambiguity exists concerning eligibility to act as president
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