Joan M. Mooney
Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs
The Honorable Joan M. Mooney was nominated by President Obama to serve as Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Legislative Affairs (OCLA) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on June 23, 2009, confirmed by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on August 7, 2009 and sworn in by Secretary Eric K. Shinseki on August 10, 2009.
As Assistant Secretary, Mooney is the principal advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on the Department’s legislative agenda. She creates and manages Department-wide policies, plans, and operations related to all congressional and legislative matters affecting the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mooney is also responsible for conducting VA’s Congressional relations activities and representing VA programs, policies, and legislative agenda to Congress.
Mooney shared family caregiver responsibilities for her Father, a retired Navy civilian and an atomic Veteran stationed in the Marshall Islands during the nuclear tests who suffered from a service-connected cancer.
In over two decades of leadership experience in working with Congress, Mooney headed up the Washington office of Congressman Terry Bruce of Illinois and as chief of staff to Congressman John Cox of Illinois. From 1997 to 2009, Mooney served as chief of staff to Congresswoman Darlene Hooley, a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Ranking Member of its Oversight and Investigations panel, and the House Budget Committee. She has worked on health care legislation throughout her tenure on Capitol Hill. As a Washington representative of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Mooney has also developed policies affecting the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs on manpower, health care and research. Mooney has served as a Senior Advisor to Secretary Shinseki since February of 2009.
Mooney graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor’s degree in government and politics in 1986.
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