Pamela Powers

As Chief of Staff for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Pamela Powers is the senior advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary in the federal government’s second-largest Cabinet department, with a $218 billion budget and over 400,000 employees serving in VA medical centers, clinics, benefits offices, and national cemeteries across the country. Ms. Powers has nearly 30 years of service in the Air Force and the Department of Defense with experience in executive-level management, policy development, strategic planning and programming, legislation, operations, and communications. Before joining VA, Ms. Powers served as Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, responsible for day-to-day operations of Department of Defense Total Force Management. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Psychology, Ms. Powers holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College and a Master of Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. Ms. Powers retired from the Air Force as a Colonel on March 1, 2018, and her awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.