Ray Jefferson

Raymond M. Jefferson III (June 13, 1966 – October 13, 2024) was an American government official and military officer who was assistant secretary of labor for the Veterans' Employment and Training Service. He graduated from the United States Military Academy and served in the United States Army. During a training session as an Army officer with Special Forces, he lost all of his fingers on his left hand while attempting to protect his teammates from a defective hand grenade that was detonating prematurely. and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. Jefferson earned a Master of Public Administration degree in strategic management from the Kennedy School of Government, graduating with distinction as a Littauer Fellow.

Career Jefferson was an army officer with the infantry and Special Forces, as well as the Presidential Honor Guard, 3rd Ranger Battalion and 1st Special Forces Group. He also worked in Singapore as a leadership consultant at McKinsey & Company, developing leadership training and development programs for his clients.

In 2009, Jefferson was appointed by President Obama as assistant secretary for the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) of the United States Department of Labor.

Jefferson resigned from his position as assistant secretary on July 25, 2011, following accusations that he had violated federal procurement rules. An Inspector General's report alleged that two whistleblowers had reported that Jefferson directed VETS employees to award contracts to the management consultant Stewart Liff at a higher cost than could have been procured in an open selection process. a global leadership consultancy based in Singapore. However, his nomination was withdrawn on July 11, 2022, after stalling in committee over Republicans' objections.

In 2022, Jefferson was appointed by President Joe Biden as a Member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.