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Posted on Jul 18, 2017

Hi everyone, Bob McDonald here, 8th Secretary of Veterans Affairs. I'll be by on July 25th for a Live Q&A. What questions do you have for me?

CPT Bob McDonald

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*The RP Team will be monitoring this discussion*

From RP Staff:

We’re honored to host the 8th Secretary of Veterans Affairs, CPT Bob McDonald for a live Q&A on 7/25. Secretary McDonald graduated from West Point and served with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, pursued an ambitious business career ultimately leading Procter & Gamble (#36 on the Fortune 500), then was nominated by President Obama to take over the VA.

Please take advantage of this opportunity to communicate with a military veteran and business leader whose made change at the VA his focus since 2014.

About Secretary McDonald:

Robert A. McDonald was the eighth Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble (P&G).

In 2014 as VA Secretary, McDonald launched VA’s ambitious transformational journey to be the No. 1 customer service agency in federal government. The Harvard Business School’s November 2016 study of VA’s transformation judged that, thanks to Secretary McDonald’s leadership, VA “had made impressive progress.” By the end of his tenure in January 2017, all VA Medical Centers were providing Veterans access to same day services in primary and mental health care when needed right away.

At P&G, McDonald significantly recalibrated the company’s product portfolio and expanded its marketing footprint, adding nearly one billion people to its global customer base and growing the firm’s organic sales by an average of three percent per year, growth reflected in a 2009 to 2013 P&G stock increase of 60 percent. During Mr. McDonald’s tenure, P&G was widely recognized for its leader development expertise. In 2012, Chief Executive Magazine named P&G the best company for developing leader talent. The Hay Group consistently cited P&G in its top-tier listing of Best Companies for Leadership Study.

A United States Military Academy Distinguished Military Graduate and Distinguished Alumnus, Secretary McDonald graduated in 1975 in the top 2 percent of his class. In 1978, he earned his MBA from the University of Utah.

Secretary McDonald served in the Army with the 82nd Airborne Division.

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Posted 7 y ago

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Responses: 62

COL Mikel J. Burroughs

Edited 7 y ago

Posted 7 y ago

RALLYPOINT CONTINUES TO BRING THE VERY BEST IN HONORED GUEST TO ITS MEMBERS!

RP MEMBERS AND CONNECTIONS - PLEASE JOIN IN ON THE RALLYPOINT LIVE Q&A WITH CPT Bob McDonald ON JULY 25, 2017.

WHAT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THE REALLY GOOD, TOUGH, AND PROFESSIONAL QUESTIONS FACING ONE OF OUR VERY OWN VETERANS DURING HIS TIME AS THE 8TH SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH THE POLITICS OF WASHINGTON, HIS LEADERSHIP, AND HIS PAST EXPERIENCES IN THE MILITARY AND CIVILIAN SECTOR.

PLEASE POST YOUR QUESTION TODAY:
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/hi-everyone-bob-mcdonald-here-8th-secretary-of-veterans-affairs-i-ll-be-by-on-july-25th-for-a-live-q-a-what-questions-do-you-have-for-me

THE RALLYPOINT FORUM CONTINUES TO PROVIDE THESE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO ALL OF OUR VETERANS, SERVICE MEMBERS, RETIREES, CIVILIAN RECRUITERS, CIVILIAN SUPPORTERS, AND MILITARY FAMILY MEMBERS TO REACH OUT & ASK PROFESSIONAL QUESTIONS TO FORMER SERVICE MEMBERS AND LEADERS OF OUR COUNTRY.

YOUR GREAT PARTICIPATION IS WELCOME, APPRECIATED, AND NEEDED TO KEEP THIS TYPE OF FORUM MOVING FORWARD.

THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

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Hi everyone, Bob McDonald here, 8th Secretary of Veterans Affairs. I'll be by on July 25th for a...

SFC Randy Purham

7 y

Good morning Secretary CPT Bob McDonald, I work with a few Veteran organizations and the biggest complaint and concern I hear is the unwelcoming/unfriendly attitude with a lot of the employees of the VA. Many of them don't identify themselves on the phone (name and or position/title), they also seem to like to pass patients off to other random departments and staff members knowing they can't help them with their issue(s). Would it be possible to streamline how emplyees deal with patients in a more respectful and friendly manner? Many seem to take thier job for granted knowing that getting fired or other disciplinary actions are next to impossible. Our Vets don't deserve this sort treatment regardless of how they may personally feel about them. Thank you in advance for your thoughts and reply and thank you for your service as well.

PFC (Join to see)

7 y

Thank you for sharing this Col.

CWO3 (Join to see)

7 y

SPC Duane Jackson - I read this story about a new hotline a few days ago. Maybe it's worth a try. The number is [login to see] . Good luck.

http://taskandpurpose.com/called-new-white-house-veterans-complaint-line-heres-went/

I Called The New White House Veterans’ Complaint Line. Here’s How It Went

I didn’t have any specific complaints — beyond the usual vet gripes — but was curious who might lurk on the other end of that line and how they’d prepared.

CPT Bob McDonald

7 y

SPC Duane Jackson Thanks for sharing that hot line phone number. To those who prefer email, please email [login to see] . Debi runs customer service at the VA. At my first national press conference in the fall of 2014, I gave out my cell phione number. We wanted Veterans to have a place to go for help. Now you have a phone number and an email address. Thanks.

Capt Brandon Charters

Posted 7 y ago

Thanks for joining us, CPT Bob McDonald. For each phase of your career at Procter & Gamble (from Brand Manager to CEO), how would you describe the most important keys to your success?

CPT Bob McDonald

7 y

Capt Brandon Charters The most important key to success is the ability to learn new things. Oftentimes throughout one's career, the environment changes. This requires learning new things. For example, when I joined P&G in 1980 only 35% of our business was outside the US. When I retried in 2013 65% of our business was outside the U.S., and I spoke four languages versus two when I joined. Learning digital technology is another big one.

Cpl Tim Callahan

Posted 7 y ago

In hindsight, what would you have done to break through the bureaucracy at the VA?

CPT Bob McDonald

7 y

we were handcuffed by the Civil Service Act. We made multiple legislative suggestions to Congress to change the status of VA employees. For example, we proposed firing the medical center director in Phoenix for her incompetence as Veterans waited for care. We were overruled by something called the Merit System Protection Board. A recent act of Congress was passed to help.

Cpl Tim Callahan

7 y

CPT Bob McDonald Thanks for your prompt response. Do you think there is still a place for the CHOICE program? I was upset to learn the House just rejected the emergency funding. I live 75 Miles away from my nearest VA and the doctor approval process can be cumbersome.

LTC Jason Strickland

7 y

Cpl Tim Callahan, check out this website for information about the future of the Veterans Choice Program: https://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/documents/VCP-and-the-Future-of-CC_508.pdf

VCP-and-the-Future-of-CC_508.pdf

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Cpl Tim Callahan

>1 y

LTC Jason Strickland Thank you very much for this information and thanks for your service.

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Hi everyone, Bob McDonald here, 8th Secretary of Veterans Affairs. I'll be by on July 25th for a Live Q&A. What questions do you have for me?

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