Robert J. Henke

In May 2006 the President appointed Mr. Robert J. Henke to serve as the VA Committee Member, and in November 2006 he was sworn-in. As the Assistant Secretary for Management in the Department of VA, Mr. Henke is responsible for the Department's budget (in excess of $72 billion for fiscal year 2006), financial policy and operations, acquisition and materiel management, real property asset management, and business oversight. He serves as VA's Chief Financial Officer, Chief Acquisition Officer, and Senior Real Property Office.

Prior to his nomination by the President to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Management, Mr. Henke served as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) at the Department of Defense (DoD) in that capacity; he was the principal advisor to the DoD Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer and his duties involved a broad range of financial management responsibilities including development, justification and execution of DoD's budget, and the formulation of DoD-wide financial and accounting policy.

He served as a Professional Staff Member with the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense from 1999 to 2004 and as a Presidential Management Intern with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management & Comptroller) from 1997 to 1999. From 1993 to 1996 he was with General Electric Company, where he completed GE's Financial Management Program.

A Navy officer, Mr. Henke was mobilized as a reservist and deployed overseas for Operation Enduring Freedom and served on active duty in combat during Operation Desert Storm. Mr. Henke is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in Government & International Relations, and earned a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

The Committee has welcomed Mr. Henke in bringing his expertise to the table and he has eagerly accepted the challenge and envisions working together to provide more opportunities for individuals who are blind or have other severe disabilities that enable them to lead more productive and independent lives.