SATN Episode 368, with Peter O’Rourke

Peter O’Rourke brings a highly diverse skill set in transformation, innovation, and leadership honed over 27 years of demanding fields and challenges. He served in the military as a Navy enlisted plane captain, an Air Force officer and
logistician. He is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and has held positions in consulting and government service, including service as a senior policy advisor, congressional staffer and executive director for a non-profit focused on
generating support for federal government efficiency. O’Rourke served as VA Chief of Staff from Feb. 16, 2018, to May 29, 2018. In that short period, he helped oversee the department through the appointment of Acting Secretary Robert
Wilkie and was instrumental in finalizing VA’s electronic health record modernization contract as well as working with the White House, Congress and Veterans service organizations to secure passage of the
landmark VA MISSION Act.

Prior to becoming VA Chief of Staff, O’Rourke served as the first Executive Director for VA’s Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. In that position he established and led the new office, which is
the first of its kind in the federal government. In this role, he quickly became a trusted advisor to many leaders throughout the department on accountability and culture issues.
Mr. O’Rourke is a 1998 graduate from the University of Tennessee and the USAF Institute of Technology in 2005.