Randy C. Reeves is an American military officer and government official who served as the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs from 2017 to 2021. He served in the military for 27 years and is a veteran of the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Prior to assuming his current role, he was the executive director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board and president of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs. He left office on January 20, 2021.

Early life and education

Reeves was born in 1962 in Little Rock, Mississippi. He is a 1980 graduate of Beulah Hubbard High School. He earned an associate degree from the

Community College of the Air Force The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force and United States Space Force which grants two-year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in association with Air University. CCAF ...

, a Bachelor of Science in management from

Peru State College Peru State College is a public college in Peru, Nebraska. Founded by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1865, making it the first and oldest institution of higher education in Nebraska, it underwent several name changes before receiving ...

, and a Master of Science in health science from Touro University. Reeves also completed the senior executive program at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Career

After high school, he joined the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

, serving as an airman from 1980 to 1988. He subsequently served as an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, serving as a surface warfare officer until retiring as a commander in August 2008. Reeves served during the

and in military operations in

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Eur ...

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

. In January 2009, Reeves became the first director of the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Later that same year, he was appointed deputy director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board (VAB). In January 2012, Reeves became the executive director of VAB. In October 2015, he was named to a three-year term on the Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee. Reeves was elected president of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs in August 2016. On September 2, 2017, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

nominated Reeves to become the next Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs. The nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 8, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeves, Randy Living people United States Air Force airmen United States Navy officers Peru State College alumni Trump administration personnel United States Department of Veterans Affairs officials People from Newton County, Mississippi 1962 births