The AMBA Annual Luncheon will be held on Friday, 13 May 2021 from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, VA.
Each year, AMBA hosts a by-invitation* luncheon in Washington, DC, in conjunction with our spring executive committee meeting, to bring together and to share ideas among our members and partners. This year our Luncheon, in conjunction with the quarterly Military Family Financial Readiness Coalition Roundtable, will be held in person.
Our guest speaker for the luncheon will be Dr. Paul R. Lawrence.
Paul R. Lawrence is a businessman, author, and passionate Veteran advocate. He has 35 years of experience solving management problems in large, complex organizations. As a private-sector executive, he was a consulting Partner at two Big-Four accounting firms and a Vice President in two Fortune 500 companies. He is a government management thought leader, having written several books on the subject.
For almost three years, Lawrence served as Under Secretary of Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, unanimously confirmed by the Senate on April 26, 2018. As Under Secretary, he was in charge of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) leading a team of 25,000 people with an operating budget of $4 billion, administering $120 billion in benefits annually. He implemented proven business practices, streamlined the bureaucracy, and created a public presence rebranding VBA as an organization successfully supporting Veterans.
During his time as Under Secretary, Veterans received more benefits faster and at a lower cost than any time in VBA history. His book, “Transforming Service to Veterans: How I Pursued Performance Excellence at VBA,” describes the accomplishments during his time as Under Secretary.
He serves on the Board of Directors of Vets2Industry, a non-profit organization helping Veterans pursue a career in the private sector and the Board of Trustees of Purpose Built Families, a nationally-accredited nonprofit that delivers compassionate, informed care to address underlying causes of Veteran homelessness. He is also a Senior Advisor to Search & Acquire, a non-profit focused on helping Veterans become CEOs via Entrepreneurship through Acquisition
He was selected three times by Federal Computer Week as one of the top 100 public service leaders. In 2019 he was recognized as Government Executive of the Year by Service to the Citizen. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Lawrence earned his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Tech. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He is an Army Veteran, having completed his ROTC requirement as an Airborne-qualified Captain.
Prior to the luncheon, AMBA will host the Military Family Financial Readiness Coalition Roundtable discussion in partnership with the Military Family Advisory Network.
*Invitations are sent via email. If you have any questions please contact us at info@ambahq.org