Doug Collins — the American politician, lawyer, and minister who has served as the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs since February 2025 — was born on this day — August 16, 1966 — in Gainesville, Georgia.

He is a graduate of the University of North Georgia, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Criminal Justice; the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Divinity; and John Marshall Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctor.

Prior to his appointment to the Cabinet, Collins represented Georgia’s 9th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021, serving as the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee. A Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, he has served as a military chaplain for over two decades, including a deployment to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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