Jo Ann Krukar

Who is Jo Ann Krukar?

Jo Ann Krukar is an American lobbyist and a former government official.

Jo Ann Krukar is senior director of federal relations and policy for the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She was the highest-ranking woman in the Department of Veterans Affairs upon her appointment as director of the National Cemetery System by President George H.W. Bush on October 10, 1989. She moved on in November 1991 to become VA’s Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning.

Krukar previously worked in the Veterans Administration from 1978–1982. Before joining the department, she worked for several years as an analyst and health-care consultant for ACTION, the national domestic volunteer agency. She served as the director of a health-service corporation, and she was an original member of VA’s Advisory Committee of Women Veterans, from 1983-1986.

A Slovak American and native of Ford City, Pennsylvania, Krukar earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Pennsylvania State University, after which served five years in the Army on active duty in Vietnam, Germany, and Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for service in Vietnam. Subsequently she earned a master’s in healthcare administration from George Washington University. From 1976-80 she was the public health officer for the Army Reserve’s 354th Civil Affairs Group, 82nd Airborne Division, from which she was discharged with the rank of captain.