John I. Pray, Jr.

Brigadier General (Retired) John I. Pray, Jr. joined The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) senior staff team in 2009 and as the Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, where he is responsible for providing executive level leadership and management in the planning and execution of day-to-day operations and activities throughout the organization.

Previously, John ran the USO Entertainment/Programs department, delivering spirit-lifting programming to thousands of troops and their families every year. Prior to coming to the USO, John served as the Executive Vice President for the Systems and Proposal Engineering Company. John has more than 27 years of experience in military operations, having commanded Air Force units at the squadron, group and wing levels, and he also served as the Director of the White House Situation Room.

He retired from active duty in 2007 when selected as the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council. John holds a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and masters degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the School of Advanced Airpower Studies and the Air War College. He has also completed senior executive programs at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School and The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.