Mr. Tucker supports clients working in U.S. government arenas with his extensive expertise in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD), as well as in Congressional affairs. He delivers substantial experience advising clients on how to effectively communicate and promote their business interests to key decision-makers in Congress and the federal government, and how to achieve successful results from government challenges.
Prior to joining The SPECTRUM Group, Mr. Tucker served as the Acting Chief of Staff of the VA, the senior advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on the Department’s $218 billion budget, 400,000 employees, vast network of facilities, and coordination with the White House and Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Concurrently, as a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary, he served as the principal adviser to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and three Under Secretaries on all VA-related legislative matters, forecasting legislative priority risks and identifying opportunities for Congressional support.
Previously, Mr. Tucker served as a Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Richard Burr, focused on veterans and defense issues. He also served as the Deputy Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where he oversaw a team conducting multiple investigations of VA mismanagement reports. In his 20-year U.S. Marine Corps career, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Tucker served as a Senate Defense Legislative Fellow and was assigned to ground combat units and command-level headquarters, with deployments to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm), Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom), and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom).