| Post: | Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs of Virginia |
| Incumbent: | vacant |
| Style: | Mr. Secretary |
| Member Of: | Virginia Governor's Cabinet |
| Nominator: | The Governor |
| Appointer: | The Governor with advice and consent from the Senate and House |
| Termlength: | 4 years |
| Formation: | 2010 |
| Inaugural: | Terrie Suit (as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security) |
| Website: | vada.virginia.gov |
The secretary of veterans and defense affairs is a member of the Virginia Governor's Cabinet. It was created by Governor Bob McDonnell in 2010 to succeed the position of Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness.[1] It was referred to as the "secretary of veterans affairs and homeland security" until 2014, when most homeland security responsibilities were transferred to the secretary of public safety and homeland security. The office was most recently held by Carlos Hopkins, who succeeded retired Admiral John C. Harvey Jr. in 2017.[2] Craig Crenshaw has been nominated to serve as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Prior to the establishment of the Secretariat of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, there existed an assistant to the governor, which itself emerged from Governor Jim Gilmore's Virginia Preparedness and Security Panel created after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Veterans affairs and homeland security | ||||||
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Governor(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terrie Suit | April 6, 2011 | September 23, 2013 | Bob McDonnell | ||
| 2 | James W. Hopper | September 23, 2013 | January 11, 2014 | |||
| 3 | John C. Harvey Jr. | January 11, 2014 | April 2, 2014 | Terry McAuliffe | ||
Veterans and defense affairs | ||||||
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Governor(s) | ||
| 3 | John C. Harvey Jr. | April 2, 2014 | September 1, 2017 | Terry McAuliffe | ||
| 4 | Carlos Hopkins | September 1, 2017 | present | Terry McAuliffe Ralph Northam | ||
| 5 | Craig Crenshaw | nominated | Glenn Youngkin | |||