Scott Gould ED

Under Secretary, U.S. Veterans Administration

W. Scott Gould was nominated by President Obama to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and subsequently confirmed by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on April 2, 2009.

As Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Gould serves as the chief operating officer of the federal government’s second largest department, responsible for a nationwide system of health care services, benefits programs and national cemeteries for America’s veterans and their dependents.

Prior to his appointment to the VA, Gould was Vice President for public sector strategy at IBM Global Business Services where he focused on strategy and innovation. Previously, he was Chief Executive Officer of The O’Gara Company, a strategic advisory and investment services firm, and Chief Operating Officer of Exolve, a technology services company.

The former Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration at the Department of Commerce, Gould has also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance and Management at the Treasury Department. As a White House Fellow, he served in the Export-Import Bank of the United States and in the Office of the White House Chief of Staff. Gould was also appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts to conduct a financial and operational work-out of the city of Chelsea, the first municipality in the state to be placed in receivership by the general court.

Gould is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served at sea aboard the guided missile destroyer Richard E. Byrd. As a Naval Intelligence reservist, Capt. Gould was recalled to active duty for Operation Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom. After President Obama’s election, he served as co-chair of the VA Agency Review Team for the Presidential Transition Team.

A fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and former member of the National Security Agency Technical Advisory Group and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Overseers, Gould has been awarded the U.S. Department of Commerce Medal, the U.S. Department of Treasury Medal and the Navy Meritorious Service Medal. He is coauthor of “The People Factor: Strengthening America by Investing in the Public Service,” published by Brookings Institution Press in 2009. He holds an AB degree from Cornell University and MBA and Ed.D. degrees from the University of Rochester. Gould is married to Michèle A. Flournoy. They have three children and reside in the Washington, D.C. area.