Obama Ready to Nominate New VA Chief

Former P&G exec Robert McDonald could be the next VA secretary. P&G (CC-BY-SA)

Given what happened to the former secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, whoever ends up filling his position has a tough row to hoe. If President Obama gets his way, former Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald will apparently be the next man for the job.

The official announcement is slated to happen Monday. Should he take the post, McDonald will have to make up for lost confidence after the exposure of widespread corruption that shook up the VA system in recent months and led to Shinseki’s ejection. McDonald would bring combined experience in the military and in business, as the Los Angeles Times detailed Sunday:

At P&G he oversaw more than 120,000 employees with operations around the world, selling products in more than 180 countries and in more than 2.5-million stores, reaching more than 5-billion customers, according to the White House.

McDonald, 61, served in the U.S. Army for five years, achieving the rank of captain in the 82nd Airborne Division, according to the White House. He retired from P&G in June 2013.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, plans to meet with McDonald next week.

Sloan Gibson has been serving as interim VA secretary since Shinseki’s ouster in late May.

–Posted by Kasia Anderson