Ronald Walters

Ronald E. Walters was named Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs for the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) at the VA, in June 2009. He also led the NCA as interim and acting Under Secretary from June 2014 – November 2017. Prior to 2009, he served as CFO. Mr. Walters helps lead 155 national cemeteries and 121 VA grant-funded state and tribal Veterans’ cemeteries in providing a dignified burial in national shrines for Veterans and eligible family members. He also oversees the provision of hundreds of thousands of memorials worldwide. Under his leadership, the NCA achieved the highest customer satisfaction rating for any U.S. organization – public or private – in the history of the American Customer Satisfaction Index. This milestone was accomplished six times in a row during his tenure. Mr. Walters earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from The Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from George Washington University. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Mr. Walters received two Presidential Rank Awards (Distinguished and Meritorious) and was a finalist for the 2014 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal in Management Excellence. He also received two service awards from the Secretary of VA.