Bruce Long

Bruce moved to Biltmore Lake from the Maryland Eastern Shore six years ago. Prior to that, he lived in Northern Virginia and commuted to Washington, DC where he worked for the Federal government.

Bruce’s social conscience was born in his youth in Mississippi from 1954 to 1962, a particularly challenging time in modern race relations.  He later graduated from the University of Maryland, majoring in political science and economics, and then attended graduate school at the University of Delaware, where he majored in international relations.  Bruce went to work for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Executive Office of the President in 1974, as the Watergate scandal was in full roar.  OMB is at the epicenter of communications between the President, the rest of the Executive Branch and the Congress and has a significant impact on public policy outcomes.  Bruce quickly became an expert and important player on all topics assigned to him and received numerous prestigious awards over the years.  He entered the Federal Government’s top management echelon (the Senior Executive Service) when he was promoted to Chief of the Water Branch at OMB.  In 1996 Bruce became OMB’s Deputy Associate Director for Veterans Affairs and Personnel.  All of these attainments were the result of his untiring dedication and professionalism as well as his ability to create teams within and outside of his organization.  He was widely respected for his keen sense of humor and for putting the interests of others over his own self-interest.

Following his 2001 retirement from OMB, Bruce began a second career in international consulting. Specializing in public financial management in developing and war-torn countries, Bruce worked as a contractor for USAID and the European Commission for 11 years in Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Azerbaijan, Rwanda, and Jordan.

Bruce retired from international work in 2014 to spend more time with family.  He was married to his wife, Peg, for 50 years.  They have two sons, Brad (Lindsay) and Greg (Britt), and seven wonderful grandchildren.   Throughout his entire impressive career, Bruce never lost sight of the fact that family was his most important priority.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Four Seasons Hospice, at 571 S Allen Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731, or to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, at PO BOX 37920, Boone IA 50037-0920