A graduate of West point, McDonald served as an Airborne Ranger Infantry Captain in the Army. He is the retired chairman, president and CEO of Procter & Gamble. During his time as Secretary of the VA, McDonald pledged his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation to support Project Enlist. He is Chairman of the Board of RallyPoint Networks, Inc.—an online community of active duty military members and Veterans—and serves on the Board of Directors of the Partnership for Public Service, Audia International, Inc., the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy, the Boulder Crest Retreat Foundation, Quotient, and the McCormick Research Institute.