Heather Ann Wilson, born in December 1960, comes from a military background. Her grandfather, George G. “Scotty” Wilson, served in the Royal Air Force during World War I before immigrating to the United States, where he became a courier pilot during World War II. He was also a founding member of the New Hampshire Civil Air Patrol. Additionally, her father served in the U.S. Air Force.
In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed legislation allowing women to attend military academies. Wilson applied to and was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she excelled. She served as vice wing commander and became the first woman to lead basic cadet training. She graduated as part of the third class to include women, earning the distinction of Distinguished Graduate in 1982, along with a Rhodes Scholarship. She later obtained both a master's and doctorate in philosophy in 1985.
Wilson served as an Air Force officer from 1982 to 1989, working in Plans and Negotiations at RAF Mildenhall, England, and the Office of Defense Plans at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels. From 1989 to 1991, she was the Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control on the National Security Council staff under President George H.W. Bush.
In 1995, Governor Gary Johnson appointed Wilson as Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department. She resigned in 1998 to run for a special election in New Mexico’s First Congressional District, winning the seat and securing re-election five months later. This victory made her the first female military veteran to be elected to a full term in Congress.
On January 23, 2017, President Donald J. Trump nominated Wilson as Secretary of the Air Force. She was sworn in on May 16, 2017, becoming the first U.S. Air Force Academy graduate to hold the position.
In 2019, Wilson became President of the University of Texas at El Paso, a role she continues to serve in today. She also holds positions on the boards of Lockheed Martin Corporation, Google Public Sector, and the Texas Space Commission and is a member of the National Science Board for the 2020-2026 term.
