As Chief of Staff, Ms. Powers is the senior advisor to Secretary Robert Wilke and responsible for day-to-day operations of the federal government’s second-largest Cabinet department, with a budget of more than $218 billion and over 400,000 employees serving in VA medical centers, clinics, benefits offices, and national cemeteries across the country. Ms. Powers has nearly 30 years of service in the Air Force and the Department of Defense. Before joining VA, Ms. Powers served as Secretary Wilkie’s Chief of Staff during his tenure as the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. In that capacity, she was responsible for Department of Defense Total Force Management operations. During her military service, Ms. Powers was assigned to posts in Arizona, Delaware, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. In 2015, she deployed to Kuwait to serve as Chief of Staff to the 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force-Levant, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. Ms. Powers is a 1989 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, and she retired from the Air Force as a colonel on March 1, 2018. Her awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.