Todd Breasseale was sworn into the non-career Senior Executive Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs on April 15, 2024, where he advises on the development and implementation of communications policies, plans, guidelines, and proposals for an effective and efficient public and intergovernmental affairs program. Mr. Breasseale also serves as a consultant in the areas of communication development, internal and external communications strategy, and quality improvement.
Mr. Breasseale has significant experience in leading public affairs communications and information operations policy. Prior to his current appointment, he was the Department of Defense’s (DoD) acting director of the Office of Information Operations Policy in the Office of Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict. In this role, he was responsible for the budgeting of and all policy matters pertaining to the development and implementation of all information-related strategies, plans, and policies for the DoD, and supervising the 37 Information Operations subject matter experts on his team. Before that Mr. Breasseale led the DoD’s media operations as the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Media) where he provided supervisory oversight of a team of more than 30 communications professionals for the DoD’s media relations, social media, and crisis communication efforts – with the additional duty of Acting Pentagon Press Secretary. Prior to returning to appointed, federal civil service, he directed public affairs communications at Microsoft and led Facebook’s communications around the work of the Integrity team and community partnerships. Before his work in private industry, Mr. Breasseale was an appointee in the Obama-Biden administration, serving as the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs where he oversaw the department’s public outreach, media relations, and strategic and incident communication efforts, serving also as the principal communications advisor to the Secretary.
Mr. Breasseale had a distinguished career in the U.S. Army and retired in 2014, serving in the U.S. and internationally. He was an artillery battery commander in the Republic of Korea and later commanded at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was also the director of the U. S. Army’s Entertainment Industry Liaison office in Hollywood. For his service in Iraq and in Afghanistan, he earned two Bronze Star medals. He is also the recipient of the Legion of Merit medal. Mr. Breasseale, his husband Mark Nelson, and their two Samoyed dogs Adam and Steve, live in Northern Virginia.
