David LaCerte
Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs
In office
June 2014 – October 2015
Personal details
Born (1979-11-06) November 6, 1979
Alma mater
OccupationLawyer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceMarine Corps
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan

David Alan LaCerte (born November 6, 1979) was the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) in the administration of Governor Bobby Jindal.[1] He had been the Interim Secretary from January 2013 to September 2013.[2][3]

He served as an appointee of President Donald Trump as a senior advisor at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

In January 2021, he was appointed as a Senior Advisor and Executive Counsel at the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board and served as Acting Managing Director. He still holds the position of Senior Advisor/Executive Counsel as of September 2022.[4]

Military career

LaCerte served in the United States Marine Corps Infantry at 1st Battalion 1st Marines (1/1). Shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001, he was deployed to Afghanistan under the command of General James Mattis. LaCerte led over 100 combat patrols and missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan and served on interrogation teams for high value Al Qaeda targets.[5]

Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs

LaCerte is a graduate of Nicholls State University and Paul M. Hebert Law Center. He joined the LDVA in 2010 as Deputy Secretary and Executive Counsel under Secretary Lane Carson. Following the retirement of Carson, LaCerte served as the Interim Secretary of LDVA until the appointment of former US Representative Rodney Alexander in September 2013. LaCerte was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal as Secretary after Alexander resigned on June 3, 2014.[1]

Under the leadership of Secretary LaCerte, LDVA experienced a historic period of financial reforms, becoming the first state to transition completely from state appropriations in the Veteran Homes program, expanding Parish Service Offices to every parish in the state and doubling Louisiana's VA Disability Payments to over $1 billion, and building three additional state veterans' cemeteries at Fort Polk, Slidell, and Rayville.[6][7]

LaCerte was the first chairman of the Louisiana Military Advisory Council, tasked with reinforcing the state's military footprint in the face of potentially devastating cuts of thousands of soldiers and family members at Fort Polk. Due to the efforts of the LMAC and LaCerte as chairman, Fort Polk escaped major cuts which would have been catastrophic to the local and state economies.[8][9]

LDVA also sponsored and passed legislation in many areas, including benefits reform, military spouse occupational license reciprocity, and some of the early Veterans Treatment Courts in the nation.[10][11][12]

LaCerte resigned in October 2015 amid two investigations into his office, prompted by a report, released in August 2015, that turned up concerns about conditions and lack of oversight at nursing homes for veterans.[13][14] The investigations by the Louisiana legislative auditor and the State Inspector General's Office found possible misspending of funds and failure to report alleged violence against a veteran.[14]

LaCerte famously called the report "garbage" and sued the state, the legislative auditor, and the Inspector General for defamation.[15][16]

Office of Personnel Management

In June 2020, LaCerte left the private practice of law as a partner at the Louisiana law firm of Sternberg Naccari and White and was appointed by the White House as a senior advisor at the Office of Personnel Management where he served in policy and as a special counsel in the administration of the President.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Governor Jindal Appoints David LaCerte as New LDVA Secretary". Office of the Governor – State of Louisiana. 2014-06-03. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
  2. ↑ "Governor Jindal Appoints David LaCerte to Serve as Interim Veterans Affairs Secretary". Office of the Governor – State of Louisiana. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
  3. ↑ "Governor Jindal Appoints Rodney Alexander as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs". Office of the Governor – State of Louisiana. Archived from the original on 2015-01-01.
  4. ↑ "CSB Directory".
  5. ↑ Times-Picayune, Paul Purpura, NOLA com | The. "Gov. Bobby Jindal names first appointments to Louisiana Military Advisory Council". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Hilburn, Greg. "Final place of honor awaits NELA vets". thenewsstar.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  7. ↑ blackhawk. "David LaCerte". Blackhawk Flight Foundation. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  8. ↑ "Fort Polk to escape major Army cuts; losses expected to be less than 400 troops". Baton Rouge Business Report. 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  9. ↑ Allen, Amy. "Fort Polk and Vernon-Beauregard Parish region inextricably linked". Leesville Daily Leader - Leesville, LA. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  10. ↑ By, mark ballard. "Questions raised about military spouse law". The Advocate. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  11. ↑ Prime, John Andrew. "Caddo, Bossier courts plan veterans venues". shreveporttimes.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  12. ↑ Guidry, Leigh. "Amendment a 'life-changer' for local veteran". thetowntalk.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  13. ↑ Ballard, Mark (2015-12-09). "Head of Louisiana Veterans Affairs steps down after probes look at conditions, oversight at nursing homes". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  14. 1 2 Allen, Rebekah (2016-02-02). "VA chief misspent thousands, audit says". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  15. ↑ Allen, Rebekah (2017-02-02). "Former VA Secretary, accused of exaggerating military career, sues state for defamation". The Advocate. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  16. ↑ "Garbage Talk". theind.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  17. ↑ "White House Taps SNW Partner David LaCerte for Senior Advisor Position". SNW.LAW. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
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