UMGC Honors Outstanding Alumni

The Honorable James D. Rodriguez, Assistant Secretary VETS  
Bachelor of Science in Political Science '11

The Honorable James D. Rodriguez, MA, is the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS). He is responsible for preparing America's veterans, service members and their spouses for meaningful careers. In Fiscal Year 2023, over 2,400 DOL VETS staff, contractors and grantees served more than 430,000 veterans and military spouses across all Agency programs.

Mr. Rodriguez is an executive leader and proud veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the U.S. government and corporate sector, along with 21 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. He possesses a comprehensive background in program management, interagency collaboration and policy development.

He also has extensive senior-level experience building and managing multi-million-dollar budgets and large, diverse teams while meeting the expectations of the President of the United States and large corporate enterprises. He has also demonstrated experience with developing and leading large-scale international and national programs with a commitment to operational excellence, risk management and quality assurance.

Mr. Rodriguez's recent executive experience includes leadership roles within Deloitte LLP's Government and Public Sector practice and BAE Systems, Inc. Government Relations department. He also previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Office of Warrior Care Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, from 2014 through 2017.