On January 20, Mark F. Averill ’82 received his appointment as Acting Secretary of the Army from President Donald J. Trump and was sworn in by GEN Randy George ’88, 41^st Army Chief of Staff. Since June 2009, Averill has served as a member of the Senior Executive Service. As Acting Secretary of the Army, Averill is responsible for leading the Department of the Army, including all policy, operational, and resource matters, while ensuring the Army’s readiness and strategic priorities are met. The Secretary has the authority to conduct all Department of the Army affairs subject only to the direction, authority, and control of the Commander in Chief and the Secretary of Defense.

Prior to his appointment, Averill served as the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, where he was the Senior Career Civilian in the United States Army. In that role, he provided direct administrative and management support to the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA), and enterprise-level services to Army-wide organizations. It is anticipated that Averill will return to his previous duties as Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army once the Senate confirms a permanent Secretary of the Army. From December 2013 to January 2022, Averill served as the Deputy Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army and Executive Director of the U.S. Army Resources and Programs Agency in HQDA.  He has also served as the Director of Resource Management, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4; Director of Force Projection and Distribution, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4; and Chief of the Army Requirements and Resourcing Board, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7; HQDA, Washington, D.C.

Averill retired from Active Duty in the rank of Colonel before his appointment to the Senior Executive Service. He has attended the Marine Corps War College, the Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting, and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. Averill holds a MS from the Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA, and a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY.  He is a member of the Association of the United States Army.