Danny Pummill, acting under secretary for benefits in the Department of Veterans Affairs, will be the keynote speaker at Northern Michigan University’s mid-year commencement on Saturday, Dec. 12. He also will be awarded an honorary doctorate of public service. The NMU alumnus graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement.

Pummill leads more than 20,000 Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) employees in the delivery of non-medical benefits programs. These include disability compensation, pension and fiduciary, education, home loan guaranty, life insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment. He directs the execution of nearly $90 billion in direct benefits to veterans and their families through a nationwide network of 56 regional offices, special processing centers and VBA Headquarters.

Before his October appointment as acting under secretary, Pummill served as principal deputy under secretary for benefits, second in command in VBA. Previous roles included director of VBA Department of Defense Program Office, deputy director for policy and procedures in the office of Compensation and Pension Services, VBA in Washington D.C., and senior executive for the Department of the Army.

While with the Army, Pummill served as the primary adviser to the assistant secretary of the Army, Manpower and Reserve Affairs. He retired as a colonel after 33 years of service. Pummill was an adjutant general corps officer and an enlisted field artillery and infantry soldier in a variety of assignments. He has served at every level of the military branch, from squad through Headquarters Department of the Army.

NMU’s commencement begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Superior Dome. It will be broadcast live on WNMU-TV and can be viewed online free of charge through America One/B2 Network. For more information, visit www.nmu.edu/commencement.