James Bond

Marine Corps veteran James Bond is the first openly gay Secretary to serve in Department of Veterans Affairs history. He was appointed by Governor Tony Evers to serve as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs on January 9, 2023. He has over three decades of service – service to his country, the State of Wisconsin, and to fellow veterans. James served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1983–1988, with assignments at home and abroad. After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps, James returned to Wisconsin, enrolled at UW-Madison, attained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees, and for the past three decades served in several professional and executive leadership positions in service to the State of Wisconsin.