National Academy of Public Administration National Academy of Public Administration
James Peake
Senior Fellow

Dr. James Peake

Member Since 2026

Biography

Dr. James Peake, M.D., former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Army Surgeon General, is a senior vice president at CGI Federal overseeing the company’s health care programs.

Dr. Peake was the principal advocate for veterans in the U.S. government and directed the nation’s second largest cabinet department, responsible for a nationwide system of health care services, benefits programs, and national cemeteries for America’s veterans and dependents. During his tenure, the VA employed more than 280,000 people at hundreds of medical centers, nursing homes, benefits offices, and national cemeteries throughout the country. The VA’s budget for fiscal year 2009 was $97.5 billion.

A St. Louis, Mo., native, Dr. Peake received his Bachelor of Science degree from U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1966 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry. Following service in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division where he was awarded the Silver Star, a Bronze Star with “V” device and the Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, Dr. Peake entered medical school at Cornell University in New York. He was awarded a medical doctorate in 1972 and served as Army Surgeon General from 2000 to 2004.

History of Employment

Position Division Organization Start End
Senior Vice President CGI Federal 2009 Present
Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 2007 2009
Chief Medical Director and Chief Operating Officer QTC Management, Inc. 2006 2007
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Project Hope 2004 2006
Surgeon General/Commander U.S. Army Medical Command Department of the Army 2000 2004
Commanding General U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School 1996 2000
Commanding General/TRICARE Lead Agent Madigan Army Medical Center and Northwest Health Service Support Area 1994 1996
Distinguished Professor of Military and Emergency Medicine Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Current
Adjunct Associate Professor of Surgery Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Current
Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Current
Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery University of Hawaii School of Medicine Current
Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery University of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio Current
U.S. Army Current

Expertise

Primary Sector

Federal

Primary Functions

Change Management Intergovernmental Organizational Structure/Design/Development
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