Heather Wilson

American politician and academic administrator

Heather Ann Wilson[1] (born December 30, 1960) is an American politician. Wilson was the 24th United States Secretary of the Air Force from May 16, 2017 through May 31, 2019. She served as President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota. She is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 1998 to 2009. She was the first female military veteran elected to a full term in Congress.[2]

Heather Wilson
President of University of Texas at El Paso
Assumed office
August 15, 2019
Preceded byDiana Natalicio
24th United States Secretary of the Air Force
In office
May 16, 2017 – May 31, 2019
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byDeborah Lee James
Succeeded byMatthew Donovan (acting)
Barbara Barrett
President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
In office
June 17, 2013 – May 10, 2017
Preceded byRobert Wharton
Succeeded byJim Rankin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Mexico's 1st district
In office
June 25, 1998 – January 3, 2009
Preceded bySteven Schiff
Succeeded byMartin Heinrich
Personal details
Born
Heather Ann Wilson

(1960-12-30) December 30, 1960 (age 63)
Keene, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Jay Hone
Children3
EducationUnited States Air Force Academy (BS)
Jesus College, Oxford (MPhil, DPhil)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Air Force
Years of service1982–1989
Rank Captain

After leaving Congress she was leading consulting firm Heather Wilson & Company.

On January 23, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his intentions to nominate Wilson as Secretary of the Air Force.[3] The United States Senate confirmed her nomination on May 8, 2017.[4]

On March 8, 2019, Wilson said that she would resign as Secretary, on May 31, 2019, in order to become President of the University of Texas at El Paso.[5][6]

References

change
  1. [1] Archived 2017-02-02 at the Wayback Machine[better source needed]
  2. See "Women in Congress: Heather A. Wilson" Archived 2011-04-07 at the Wayback Machine. Helen Douglas Mankin was a Red Cross civilian nurse who served in World War I, but did not have veteran status. Catherine Small Long, a member of the Navy WAVES, was elected to complete the term of her husband who died in office and did not run for re-election.
  3. "President Donald J. Trump Intends To Nominate Heather Wilson as Secretary of the Air Force". Archived from the original on 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  4. Carney, J. Senate confirms Trump's Air Force chief. 05/08/17 06:02 PM EDT
  5. Lamothe, Dan; Sonne, Paul (March 8, 2019). "Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson says she will resign". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  6. Morgan, Wesley (March 8, 2019). "Air Force secretary is stepping down". Politico. Retrieved March 8, 2019.