Bernadette Jao currently serves as the Associate Director of Patient Care Service s and Chief Nursing Officer within the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Dr. Jao has over 37 years of nursing experience, including academic and private sector, with more than 22 years of progressive leadership experience within the Department of Veterans Affairs. She joined the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in 2020.

Dr. Jao provided critical leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, including leading vaccination efforts across New England. She has wide-ranging backgrounds in providing leadership in Mental Health, Medical and Surgical Services, SPS and Primary Care. She has served on various Integrated Project Teams for VHA’s Office of Nursing Services (ONS) and has held committee appointments at the national, regional, and local levels. She currently co-chairs the National Nursing Leadership Council for ONS. Dr. Jao is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) Leadership for a Democratic Society program. She was the recipient of the 2019 VA Secretary's Award for Excellence in Nursing – Nurse Executive. Dr. Jao was appointed is a Special VA Faculty at Fairfield University’s Egan School of Nursing, and an Associate Clinical Professor at the Yale University School of Nursing. Dr. Jao earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Old Dominion University in 2015.