Dr. Nilijah E. Carter is a dynamic and passionate leader with a verifiable record of success being an organizational ambassador, achieving record cost-savings, revitalizing teams, streamlining processes, and accomplishing business objectives within rapidly-changing environments. He is a proud U.S. Army Veteran (i.e. Forward Observer) who possesses 25+ years of experience across multiple markets delivering impactful results through effectively leading people and managing business information technology programs.
Dr. Carter was appointed as the Executive Director of the Pension and Fiduciary Service (P&F), VBA Headquarters in April 2021. P&F is responsible for the development and implementation of policies, procedures, training, and quality assurance related to the administration of VA’s pension program, under which VA paid more than $3.4 billion in benefits in 2023 to over 262,000 of our most financially challenged wartime Veterans and their Survivors. P&F is also responsible for the administration of VA’s fiduciary program, which protects Veterans and other beneficiaries who as a result of their disabilities are unable to manage their financial affairs. In 2023, the fiduciary program provided oversight of fiduciaries managing more than $2.7 billion for more than 104,000 beneficiaries.
Prior to his current position, Dr. Carter served as the Deputy Executive Director for Operations in Compensation Service, VBA Headquarters. In this role, he was responsible for leading approximately 180 employees oriented to training, quality assurance, systems requirements, and innovative solutions in support of approximately 15,000 disability compensation claims processing personnel across VBA’s 56 Regional Offices. Dr. Carter also previously served as Senior Principal Advisor to the Compensation Service Executive Director where he provided expert program advisory services to identify developmental opportunities for staff leadership and to enhance program administration involving process improvement efficiencies. In this role, his most notable achievement was leading the Blue Water Navy initiative through implementation.
Dr. Carter has spearheaded the successful execution of several highly-visible VA initiatives (e.g. Claims Batch Automation Program, Private Medical Records Program, Veterans Claims Intake Program, Benefits Segment Architecture, Stakeholder Enterprise Portal, National Service Desk Implementation). He has received notable awards and honors to include: Doctorial Academic Honors with Distinction, VBA National Level Tier III Special Recognition Award, and the Seattle Federal Executive Board Public Service Recognition Award. Additionally, Dr. Carter has completed the Department of Commerce’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program as well as numerous VA leadership development programs to include Leadership VA, Executive Coaching Program, Federal Acquisition Center Program/Project Management, VBA Leadership Development Program, and Leadership Enhancement and Development.
Dr. Carter is a former athlete (i.e. basketball) and an avid Los Angeles Lakers and Seattle Seahawks fan. He is a man of faith who greatly enjoys spending quality time with his family.
