Photo: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Denis McDonough

デニス・マクドノー　/　でにす・まくどのー

American civil servant

December 2, 1969 (age 56)　・　Stillwater, Minnesota, United States

Minnesota
civil servant

My Take

Denis McDonough belongs to a category of public figure I find quietly admirable: the operator who runs the machine rather than headlines it. From a small Minnesota town through Saint John's University to the West Wing, he climbed by competence, serving at the National Security Council and later as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. There is no flash here, only the discipline of someone who shows up and gets things done in rooms most of us never see. I tend to trust institutions more when people like him are inside them, and I think history treats steady stewards more kindly than it does showmen.

Overview

Denis Richard McDonough (born December 2, 1969) is an American government official who served as the 11th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. McDonough served in the Obama administration as chief of staff at the National Security Council from 2009 to 2010 and as Deputy National Security Advisor from 2010 to 2013.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Denis McDonough
Name (Japanese): デニス・マクドノー
Reading: でにす・まくどのー
Born: December 2, 1969 (age 56)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Sagittarius / Rooster
Origin: Stillwater, Minnesota, United States
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: civil servant

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Stillwater Area High School
University: College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

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