Edward Angus "Ned" Powell Jr. (born April 1, 1948) is a former president of the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

(USO), a volunteer organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

worldwide. A native of

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, he was nominated by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

and confirmed to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Financial Management, and was then promoted to Acting Deputy Secretary for the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

, or VA.US Department of Veterans Affairs
Ned Powell Named Acting VA Deputy Secretary
. 2000-08-09. Accessed 2008-08-21. "President Clinton has appointed Edward A. (Ned) Powell Jr. as the Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)." While at the VA, Powell was charged with managing 220,000 employees with an annual budget of $48 billion. Under his leadership, the VA received its first-ever clean audit opinion. As a result, he received the VA's Exceptional Service Award and was named Distinguished Federal Executive (for 2000) by the

Association of Government Accountants The AGA (formerly Association of Government Accountants) is a professional organization for government financial management professionals. Its activities include advocacy in government financial management and working to increase government financ ...

. Powell's career began as a Navy Yeoman serving with the

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) specializing in military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense and the United States In ...

. His broad executive experience includes the ownership and management of several successful business ventures, and he is a former adjunct professor of Business Ethics and Policy at the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...

School of Business. He passed the Series 7, Securities Broker's Exam, and held a Virginia real estate broker's license. He was active in the Young President's Organization, the World President's Organization, and currently participates in L3 (an offshoot organization of WPO). After serving at VA, Powell became the CEO of World Headquarters of the USO and served in this role between 2002 and 2009. As a result of his service, Powell was awarded The Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service; The Distinguished Public Service Award, Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff; The Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service; Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service, Department of the Army; Secretary of the Army Public Service Award; Distinguished Public Service Award, Secretary of the Navy Gordon England; and the Distinguished Public Service Award, Secretary of the Navy Don Winter. In 2020 Powell was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by Washington & Lee University. Powell received his BA in Economics from

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

, and later went on to obtain his MBA from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

in 1978, using his

GI Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, but the te ...

benefits.

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* (July 2000) 1948 births Living people Politicians from Richmond, Virginia Analysts of the Defense Intelligence Agency Washington and Lee University alumni UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School alumni United States deputy secretaries of veterans affairs Clinton administration personnel {{Virginia-politician-stub