Jesse Burgard.

Dr. Jesse Burgard, PsyD, MBA, joined the VA Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) in 2021, bringing extensive leadership experience across clinical and community-focused suicide prevention initiatives. He initially served as the senior consultant focused on VA’s intervention programs. He assumed the role of acting executive director on September 1, 2026. Prior to joining OSP, Dr. Burgard served for seven years as VA regional chief mental health officer, providing programmatic oversight of mental health services across 11 VA medical centers. He previously held associate chief of staff positions at VA hospitals in Texas and Georgia, directing mental health service lines. With 27 years of service in VA, Dr. Burgard’s career as a clinical psychologist has encompassed broad clinical practice, program development, and both predoctoral and postdoctoral clinical training at VA. Dr. Burgard resides in Dayton, Ohio, with his spouse of 30 years and their three sons.

He started his career at the Dayton, Ohio, VA Medical Center in 1999 as a psychology intern. He subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program at the Tampa, Florida, VA Hospital. During his 27-year career, Dr. Burgard has worked at virtually all clinical levels of the mental health continuum at five VA medical centers in as many states. Dr. Burgard has held various academic appointments in schools of psychology and medicine and has taught undergraduate and graduate psychology courses. He completed VA’s Executive Career Field Program in 2007 and the Senior Executive Fellowship in Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Florida, a Master of Science degree, and a Doctor of Psychology degree in clinical psychology from Nova Southeastern University. He also recently earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Jack Welch Management Institute.