The Honorable Donald M. Remy, nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate in a 91-8 bi-partisan vote, served as the 9th Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Responsible for strategy, resources, governance, policy, and management infrastructure of the largest integrated healthcare system, benefit claims processing system, and cemetery system in the U.S. (@ $300 billion budget, 450,000 employees, and 1300 healthcare facilities), Remy expertly led VA and interagency teams to remarkable success in a myriad of areas. He earned a meritorious service award for exceptional leadership and contributions which resulted in the delivery of more care and services to more Veterans, the enhancement of the workplace, and impactful results on the President’s Management Council.
Immediately before serving at VA, Secretary Remy was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) where he oversaw all strategic planning, operations, budget management, and legal affairs for the $1 billion enterprise. He was a public spokesperson and advocate for college sports, advised the NCAA governance cabinets, committees, and boards of all three Divisions, and was central to improving NCAA business, operational, and legal strategies, as well as the athlete experience.
Mr. Remy has held many other leadership roles in the government and corporate sectors that capitalized on his business acumen and legal expertise. In the law, Mr. Remy served as a partner and global practice group chair at Latham & Watkins, where he represented individual and corporate clients in intricate investigations and compliance matters related to international business and he practiced at O’Melveny & Myers handling complex class action litigation. He also provided crisis management solutions and helped companies to resolve contract disputes with the federal government. In his prior government roles, he served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice, Assistant to the General Counsel for the United States Army, and Law Clerk at the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals. In the private sector, Mr. Remy was a Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer at Fannie Mae, managing multifamily community development after Hurricane Katrina as his last duty assignment.
Harnessing his strengths in complex problem-solving and crisis management, Remy has been instrumental in resolving critical business, operational, and legal challenges that hindered organizations’ public reputations. As an executive, he has driven organization-wide culture change that helped integrate key values into performance evaluation processes for all employees and trained senior leaders as part of core leadership development programs. Further, throughout his career, Remy has leveraged his vast experience in diverse industries and business sectors into numerous board leadership opportunities. His proven ability to think broadly and strategically has helped organizations identify recurring issues that stagnate growth, navigate highly regulated industries for long-term progress, and protect their brand reputation among competitors. A sample of his current and past board affiliations include: Mayo Clinic, Congressional Award Foundation, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly, Arbiter Sports, Garretson Resolution Group, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs.
Donald is a hall-of-distinction alum of Louisiana State University and earned his juris doctorate cum laude from Howard University School of Law. He is a distinguished military graduate and commissioned US Army officer. He is a prolific speaker and holds several honorary degrees.