Washington, DC --- A hospital administrator with over twenty-three years of experience with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Fernando O. Rivera, has been named Medical Center Director for the Washington DC VA Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals in the VA's national hospital system.

Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Mr. R. James Nicholson appointed Fernando O. Rivera to the position on July 3, 2007. Rivera has served as Acting Director of the Medical Center since April 29, 2007. Prior to this appointment, Rivera was the Director of the Martinsburg, West Virginia VA Medical Center.

Rivera began a long and distinguished career with VA in 1984 as a project engineer at the VA Medical Center in New Orleans, the city where he grew up. He held numerous positions at that facility through 2005. With an extensive background in health care management, planning and development, he has served VA in numerous positions.

Rivera received his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and his Masters in Business Administration in Finance from the University of New Orleans. He is a graduate of the Health Care Leadership Institute, and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In 1993, he was named VA Engineer of the Year.

Rivera is enthusiastic about his new appointment. "For 23 years, I've been privileged with providing dedicated service to our nation's Veterans. Serving at the flagship hospital of the Veterans Health Administration, in our capital city, represents the highest honor for this public servant."

The Washington DC VA Medical Center is 171 bed tertiary care hospital serving veterans residing in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The Medical Center operates a 120 bed Comprehensive Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (CNRC), and four community based outpatient clinics (CBOC) located in Southeast, Washington, DC, Greenbelt, MD, Charlotte Hall, MD and Alexandria, VA.