WDVA Secretary James Bond
James Bond is a disabled veteran with over 30 years of service to his country, the State of Wisconsin, and fellow veterans. He served on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1983–1988, with assignments both at home and abroad.
After an Honorable Discharge, James returned to Wisconsin, earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from UW-Madison, and spent three decades in professional and executive leadership roles for the state. He joined WDVA in 2010, most recently serving as Deputy Secretary before his appointment as Secretary of WDVA by Governor Tony Evers on January 9, 2023.
James is honored to continue advocating for veterans, ensuring they receive the benefits they’ve earned, and sharing their stories.
He lives in Madison with his husband, Todd, and their two sons.
Deputy Secretary Chris McElgunn
Christopher J. McElgunn serves as Deputy Secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. The Deputy Secretary is responsible for day-to-day operations, as well as directing and coordinating the Department’s strategic planning and program development. Christopher is a Navy veteran with more than a decade of state civil service experience. He served on active duty in the United States Navy and as a member of the Naval Reserve from 1991 to 1999, with assignments at home and deployment abroad. He began at the state of Wisconsin in 2012 as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Department of Workforce Development. In 2014, he transitioned to an Executive Budget and Policy role at the Department of Administration where he guided budget and policy development for multiple state agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Military Affairs, and Department of Health Services.
From 2017 to 2019, he served as Legal Counsel to the Board on Aging and Long Term Care. Christopher served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Wisconsin Department of Justice in the Civil Litigation Unit from 2019 until assuming the DVA Deputy Secretary position in February 2023. Christopher received his Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and his Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. Christopher lives in the Madison area with his wife and two sons.
Assistant Deputy Secretary Joseph Hoey
Joseph Hoey serves as Assistant Deputy Secretary. The Assistant Deputy Secretary is the primary contact for inter-governmental agency functions, as well as the agency’s legislative liaison. Joseph began his service in Wisconsin State Government in 1993 when, shortly after moving to Madison to attend UW Law School, he was hired as a part-time messenger in the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms office. Over the course of almost 30 years, Joseph worked for six different legislators representing the south side and northern suburbs of Milwaukee, the cities of Green Bay and Stevens Point, and the largest Senate District stretching from the south shore of Lake Superior to the rolling hills of Barron County and the forests of Price County.
Joseph most recently served as Chief of Staff for Senate Minority leader Janet Bewley. He is proud of the many relationships he forged and maintained with legislators and staff on both sides of the aisle in the Senate and Assembly, as well as with the administrations of five different Governors. He enjoyed working with previous Assistant Deputy Secretary Kathy Still and looks forward to continuing and building on the bipartisan relationships she established with the legislature.
