Heather Ann Wilson was born in December 1960. She came from a military family: her grandfather, George G. “Scotty” Wilson, served in the Royal Air Force during World War I. He then immigrated to the United States and served as a courier pilot during World War II. He was one of the founding members of the New Hampshire Civil Air Patrol; and, her father also served in the Air Force.
President Gerald Ford signed legislation to permit women to enter military academies in 1975. Wilson applied to the U.S. Air Force Academy and was accepted. Her record at the academy was exemplary: She was a vice wing commander, and she was the first woman to command basic cadet training. Wilson graduated from the academy in the third class that included women. She also graduated as a Distinguished Graduate in 1982 and earned a Rhodes Scholarship. Wilson later earned both a master’s and doctorate degree in philosophy in 1985.
Wilson was an Air Force officer from 1982 to 1989; during that time she served in Plans and Negotiations at RAF Mildenhall, England, and at the Office of Defense Plans as part of the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels. She held the position of Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control on the National Security Council staff from 1989 to 1991, serving under President George H.W. Bush.
Governor Gary Johnson appointed Wilson to the position of Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department in 1995. She later resigned her cabinet position in 1998 to run for a special election as Congressional Representative for the First District of New Mexico. She won re-election five months later, making her the first female military Veteran elected to a full term in Congress.
On Jan. 23, 2017, President Donald J. Trump nominated Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Air Force. She was sworn in on May 16, 2017, becoming the first graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy to be sworn in as Secretary of the Air Force.
Wilson accepted the position as the President of the University of Texas at El Paso in 2019, which is where she serves today. She is on the boards of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Google Public Sector and Texas Space Commission, and she is a member of the National Science Board Class of 2020-2026.
We honor her service.
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
Writer: Jessica Weeks
Editor: Tayler Rairigh
Researcher: Paola Negron
Graphic Designer: Sydney Burton