Ronald E. Walters was appointed Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs in January 2009. He served as Acting and Interim Under Secretary from June 2024 to July 2025, and previously held the same role from June 2014 to December 2017.
Mr. Walters helps lead 157 national cemeteries in delivering dignified burial services for military Veterans and their eligible family members. His responsibilities include maintaining these cemeteries as national shrines; overseeing land acquisition, design, and construction for new cemeteries; and managing memorial programs that honor the service of deceased Veterans through the provision of headstones, markers, medallions, and Presidential Memorial Certificates. He also administers federal grants that support the establishment of Veterans cemeteries by states, territories, and tribal governments. He played a key role in modernizing the way Veterans are honored by establishing both the Veterans Legacy Program and the Veterans Legacy Memorial.
In his previous position as the Deputy Under Secretary for Finance and Planning/CFO, Mr. Walters was responsible for the formulation and execution of NCA’s budget, performance measurement and improvement, financial activities, and legislative and regulatory activities within NCA. He began his career with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 1985 as a budget analyst in the Controller’s office and held various other management positions during his tenure.
Mr. Walters received a Ph.D. in Political Science from The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and a Master’s in Public Administration from George Washington University. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University. He was a Rhodes Scholar finalist in Virginia. In 2019, he was named one of the “HillVets 100” individuals recognized for their work on behalf of Veterans. He received Presidential Rank Awards in 2017 (Distinguished) and 2010 (Meritorious). He was awarded the Secretary’s Meritorious Service Award in 2017. He was a finalist for the 2014 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal in the Management Excellence category. Mr. Walters taught courses in American Government at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, JHU and Montgomery College. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Maryland (Baltimore County).