Jacob Bernstein
From Usgs
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| Secretary of Veterans Affairs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Office: 2017 - Present President: Whitney Mason | ||||
| Preceded by | Theo Wilson - Acting | |||
| Succeeded by | Incumbent | |||
| Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs | ||||
| In Office: 1996 - 2001 President: Bill Clinton | ||||
| Preceded by | James Lanier | |||
| Succeeded by | William Andrus | |||
| Born | January 9th 1964 New York, New York | |||
| Political Party | Democratic Party | |||
| Spouse | Laura Bernstein | |||
| Religion | Jewish - Reform | |||
Jacob Bernstein is the current Secretary of Veterans Affairs to President Whitney Mason. He is a former Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as well as an academic and political operative.
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Early life and education
Jacob Bernstein was born into a privileged Jewish New York family in 1964. His father was a noted Broadway producer who would later serve New York in Congress. Jacob was an outgoing child, but was to hyper to be truly successful in school. After graduation from high school in New York City he opted to join the United States Navy instead of attending college. However he also took classes as a member of the ROTC. The discipline instilled by the Navy allowed him to graduate in 1983. While working his way through his Navy commitment he worked on a PhD in Near East Studies by correspondence from Dartmouth College. He received his doctorate in 1987.
Naval Career
During his time in the Navy Jacob was stationed mostly in the Northeastern United States. His work is still largely unknown and he does not disclose his activities from 1982 through 1986 other then his education. After leaving active service in 1986 he served in the Naval Reserves for another two decades, including his time in the Clinton administration, making him one of the few active duty military officers in a senior role.
Early Political Service
In 1989 Jacob took a position with newly elected Congressman Elliot Engel (D-NY). He served for seven years on Engel’s staff (1989-1996) as a senior advisor on military, foreign policy and veterans issues. He also worked as an advisor to the New York Democratic Party on outreach to the parties’ left wing. In 1996 he was tapped by then President Bill Clinton to serve as Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In this role he spent five years working to reduce wait times at the VA and increase spending for benefits to veterans. He left office when George W Bush was sworn in in 2001.
Teaching
After leaving office in 2001 he took a spot as a Professor of Near East Studies at Columbia University in New York. He also served as a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. He appeared frequently as a commentator on international events, and was a notably strident critic of Presidents Bush and Warren. He served as a member of the faculty for a little over 16 years before stepping down to accept his appointment.
Present day
TBC
| Preceded by Theo Wilson | Secretary of Veterans Affairs 2017 - Present President: Whitney Mason | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by James Lanier | Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs 1996 - 2001 President: Bill Clinton | Succeeded by William Andrus |
