John Bartrum serves as a senior advisor to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). He joined the VA from a strategic advisory firm he founded and served as chief executive officer where he provided tactical advice on matters pertaining to leadership, public policy, health care, government finance, supply chain, and national security topics. Prior to this role he was a partner at a major law firm after retiring from federal service as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES).
In his prior federal positions, John served on the US House Appropriations Committee with responsibility for policy and funding issues for the labor, health, education, and related agencies subcommittee. He was instrumental in the emergency Ebola supplemental funding legislation which included designing the infectious disease hospital network; the emergency management and public health response to the Zika virus; and Superstorm Sandy funding. Previously he served as an Associate Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its Budget Director.
John also served in the National Security Division of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Executive Office of the President, where he was responsible for advising on key activities in the Department of Defense and VA. He joined OMB from the VA where he worked on health care policy, budget, and related issues in the VA corporate policy and management functions.
John enlisted in the Air Force in 1984 and has over 40 years in active and reserve military positions. He is a combat Veteran, with the rank of Major General and is the Mobilization Assistant to the Department of the Air Force Surgeon General supporting Air and Space forces. In 2020, as a Healthcare Executive he was activated to serve as the Government-wide COVID-19 Emergency Support Function-8 (Public Health and Medical Services) Deputy Incident Manager. In this role, John provided the leadership to enhance the interagency doctrine while overseeing coordination of the joint federal agency medical response forces. In addition to many military and civilian/SES awards over his career, John received numerous awards for his COVID-19 leadership including the Department of Health and Human Services Pinnacle Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Federal Health Care Executive Award for Excellence from the American Hospital Association. He is a fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration.
