Michael Akinyele, who has been serving as the Acting Executive Director for the VA Innovation Center (VIC) since early 2018 is now the Chief Innovation Officer of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the largest federal civilian agency with a ~$220B budget and ~400K employees. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES), effective November 10, 2019 and is responsible for leading, transforming and scaling enterprise innovation at the VA.
Prior roles include:
- Executive Director (Acting), VA Innovation Center (VIC) – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Senior Advisor to Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (OSVA) and DUSHOM – U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Director of Venture Development – Health Care – Laura and John Arnold Foundation
In his new role Michael is responsible for leading, transforming and scaling enterprise innovation at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
- Serving as the Principal lead of the VA Innovation Center (VIC).
- Implementing VA MISSION Act Section 152 (Care and Payment Innovation).
- Developing, implementing and evaluating innovative value-based care and payment models.
- Establishing a new vision for agency-wide innovation.
- Collaborating with Regulators, Veterans, VA stakeholders and innovators across the globe.
