Ray Jefferson Raymond Jefferson ( born 1966 ) is an American management consultant and leadership coach . He served in government personnel management positions and acts as a consultant to business . He is a member of the Asia Society , the Fulbright Association , the NAACP and the Special Forces Association . He was born and raised in Guilderland , New York , his home is Honolulu , Hawaii . Career . Jefferson graduated from the U . S . Military Academy at West Point with a major in leadership in 1988 . He served as an Army Officer with the infantry , Rangers and Special Forces , with leadership positions in the U . S . Presidential Honor Guard , 3rd Ranger Battalion and 1st Special Forces Group . He served in Unit as Commander ( A - Team ) , 1st Special Forces Group , Okinawa , Japan ; Unit Commander , 3rd Ranger Battalion , Fort Benning , GA ; and Unit Commander , Presidential Honor Guard , Washington , DC . In 1999 , he lost all five fingers on his left hand while attempting to protect his teammates from a hand grenade detonating prematurely during classified Special Forces training . After recuperating in Hawaii , Ray attended Harvard ' s Kennedy School of Government , earning a Master of Public Administration in Strategic Management ( MPA ) with Distinction as a Littauer Fellow . He then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and was recognized with the Dean ' s Award for exceptional leadership and service . Upon graduation , he was selected as a White House Fellow and worked as a Special Assistant to the U . S . Secretary of Commerce . Jefferson then served as a Fulbright Fellow in Singapore , where he studied leadership within Asian contexts ( 2001 – 2002 ) . From 2003 – 2004 , he served as Deputy Director , State of Hawaii ’ s Department of Business , Economic Development & Tourism ( DBEDT ) , Honolulu . DBEDT ’ s mission involves creating jobs , facilitating business development , diversifying the economy and creating renewable energy initiatives . While at DBEDT , Ray Jefferson co - led the organizational transformation for a department of over 230 team members with an operating budget of $ 182 million . Jefferson then went on to become a Leadership Consultant with McKinsey & Company in Singapore ( 2006 – 2008 ) where he created and delivered leadership training and development programs for clients and offices throughout Asia . His focus areas were organizational change , inspirational leadership , top team development and peak performance . On August 10 , 2009 , Raymond Jefferson was appointed to the role of U . S . Assistant Secretary for the Veterans ' Employment and Training Service ( VETS ) of the US Department of Labor by President Barack Obama . While serving in this position , Jefferson implemented methods to accelerate the agency , which allowed it to achieve its goals quicker . This involved raising awareness of the employment situation for veterans in the armed forces in rural areas of America . This was planned to overhaul the Transition Assistance Program that was in place at the time . One of those initiatives was applying talent development best practices to achieve results in securing meaningful employment for veterans . The work he carried out was acknowledged in Fortune & Forbes Magazines , along with Bloomberg Businessweek . Jefferson was praised for his leadership at VETS by Secretary of Labor Hilda L . Solis . “ He has worked tirelessly for the last 18 , 19 months , ” she said . “ I know that we have much more to accomplish , but under his leadership I know we can bring so many more people together to understand the importance and sacrifices of our veterans , their families and their communities . " On May 6 , 2010 , Ray Jefferson launched a " 100 - Day Sprint " that included deadlines for specific goals to be met within the agency . The sprint focused on achieving dramatic improvement in four primary areas : improving new programs , launching new initiatives , improving management practices in the agency , and developing talent in the agency . The VETS team , led by Jefferson , set forth 22 goals in 4 areas and reached all goals within the 100 - Day Sprint deadline of August 13 , 2010 . During his time at VETS , his achievements were discussed in various publications , including Forbes . Jefferson was selected by then - Secretary of State Colin Powell as one of the two inaugural recipients of the Harrison H . Schmitt Fulbright Alumni Leadership Award for dedication to public service . Ray Jefferson ’ s work and achievements at the agency were studied by business in government experts Paul R . Lawrence and Mark A . Abramson and published in their book " Paths to Making a Difference : Leading in Government " . Jefferson resigned from his position as Assistant Secretary at the Department of Labor on July 25 , 2011 , following accusations that he violated federal procurement rules . Peter Choharis , the lawyer representing Jefferson after the allegations said the findings relied on hearsay and had many internal inconsistencies and contradictions . An Inspector General ' s report alleged there were complaints by employees and government contractors that Jefferson violated procurement policies associated with directing VETS employees into awarding contracts to management consultant Stewart Liff . According to the Washington Post , Jefferson denied giving any special treatment for Liff , telling investigators that he believed Liff could help transform the culture at VETS . In a separate response , Liff asserted he received no special treatment and conformed to all government contracting requirements and work performance .