{"id":66713,"date":"2021-02-23T20:57:29","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T20:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:35:29","slug":"va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/","title":{"rendered":"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/02\/08\/senate-confirms-mcdonough-as-next-veterans-affairs-secretary\/\" target=_blank>Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough<\/a> vowed that his leadership team at the federal bureaucracy will reflect the diversity of America\u2019s veterans but offered no timeline for when other key senior posts at the department will be filled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis will be a really important piece of demonstrating seriousness about diversity and inclusion,\u201d McDonough said in a press conference with reporters on Tuesday. \u201cOur political appointees to date reflect that. That\u2019s intentional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonough was confirmed to his cabinet post on Feb. 8. White House officials still have not announced their picks for other key VA leadership posts, including the permanent pick for under secretary for health, a job that has been without a Senate-confirmed appointee for more than four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/08\/senate-confirms-mcdonough-as-next-veterans-affairs-secretary\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21027792851595.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Senate confirms McDonough as next Veterans Affairs secretary<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">McDonough, a former White House Chief of Staff, is only the second non-veteran ever to be confirmed to lead the department.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new secretary said he is also focused on finding the right person to run VA\u2019s Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, which in recent years has come under fire for not doing enough to respond to whistleblower complaints and protect employees from reprisal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, McDonough said he does not have a timeline for when those picks will be announced, but said that the makeup of his staff will follow his promise to \u201censure that VA is welcoming to all veterans,\u201d a refrain he has repeated numerous times in recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He did voice confidence in the current slate of acting leadership officials, most of whom served under President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The department on Tuesday announced a department-wide policy review to ensure that current medical practices are in line with White House requirements combating discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The review, to be completed by the end of March, will \u201censure that VA provides a welcoming and inclusive and inclusive environment for all veterans \u2026 including our transgender vets,\u201d McDonough said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, members of the Black Veterans Project announced they were requesting documentation from the department on \u201cracial disparities across the benefits system and claims of racial discrimination\u201d at VA. McDonough said he would look to help out with that request, in an effort to answer those questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/09\/new-va-secretary-promises-unity-around-work-to-reform-veterans-programs\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21040653160202.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">New VA secretary promises unity around work to reform veterans programs<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Denis McDonough was sworn in as the new VA Secretary on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis question about racial inequity [within VA] is one that we\u2019ve had some conversation about,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I appreciate that being out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonough served as former President Barack Obama\u2019s chief of staff, and President Joe Biden touted McDonough\u2019s nomination as a chance to put an expert at navigating government bureaucracy in place at the massive, complicated veterans agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonough said his focus in the first few weeks has been meeting with staffers to gauge their morale and challenges, and \u201cdigging in with our team on questions around the representation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Denis McDonough said that finding the right leaders for the department is among his first priorities in office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":101061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,89,12,26,62,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3222],"class_list":["post-66713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"AY5V2N2IENAMNJQV3QEG4UO7RA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Denis McDonough said that finding the right leaders for the department is among his first priorities in office.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Denis McDonough said that finding the right leaders for the department is among his first priorities in office.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-23T20:57:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T12:35:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-23T20:57:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T12:35:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 453,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                \"Veterans\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-23T20:57:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T12:35:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Denis McDonough said that finding the right leaders for the department is among his first priorities in office.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/23\\\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place - Navy Times","description":"Denis McDonough said that finding the right leaders for the department is among his first priorities in office.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place","og_description":"Denis McDonough said that finding the right leaders for the department is among his first priorities in office.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2021-02-23T20:57:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T12:35:29+00:00","author":"Leo Shane III","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leo Shane III","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place","datePublished":"2021-02-23T20:57:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T12:35:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/"},"wordCount":453,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress","Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/","name":"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-02-23T20:57:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T12:35:29+00:00","description":"Denis McDonough said that finding the right leaders for the department is among his first priorities in office.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66713"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97863,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66713\/revisions\/97863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66713"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=66713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}