VA announces Paul Hopkins as Interim Director

The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff is pleased to announce the arrival of Interim Medical Center Director, Paul Hopkins. Hopkins assumes command effective April 26.

Hopkins comes to the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center from the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, where he serves as Assistant Director over Facilities Management, Police, Voluntary Services, and Safety. Prior to his current position, he served as Truman VA’s Chief Financial Officer.

A lifelong resident of Columbia, Hopkins received a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia College in 1991, and a master’s degree in Business Administration from William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, in 2005. Hopkins also served in the U.S. Army Reserve ― during which time he was activated twice, to include a deployment to Afghanistan in 2002 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in April 2007.

Hopkins is the recipient of the CFO of the Year Award for Innovation and he is a graduate of the VA’s Health Care Leadership Development Program. In addition to his current role, Hopkins’ most recent VA details include St. Louis in 2019, Kansas City in 2018, and Oklahoma in 2017, where he had oversight of Fiscal, Facilities Management, Police, Environmental Management, Privacy, Mobility Manager, Prosthetics, Food and Nutrition, Medical Administration, Logistics, and Public Affairs.

Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN)-15 Director, Dr. William P. Patterson announced the assignment, noting, “Paul brings many years of healthcare leadership to the position, and we appreciate him serving in this role. I know he is committed to serving Veterans and I am confident he will be well-received in southern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas.”

Hopkins is married to Michelle Scheidt-Hopkins. Together, they have a 22-year-old daughter, Alexis; a 19-year-old son, Braden; and a 15-year-old daughter, Addison. In his spare time, he enjoys time with his family, vacationing and attending sporting events.