Heather Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Heather Wilson
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Wilson in 2021
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| 11th President of University of Texas at El Paso | |
| Assumed office August 15, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Diana Natalicio |
| 24th United States Secretary of the Air Force | |
| In office May 16, 2017 – May 31, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Deborah Lee James |
| Succeeded by | Matthew Donovan (acting) Barbara Barrett |
| 12th President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology | |
| In office June 17, 2013 – May 10, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Wharton |
| Succeeded by | Jim Rankin |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's 1st district |
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| In office June 25, 1998 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Steven Schiff |
| Succeeded by | Martin Heinrich |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Heather Ann Wilson
December 30, 1960 Keene, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jay Hone |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | United States Air Force Academy (BS) Jesus College, Oxford (MPhil, DPhil) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1978–1989 |
| Rank |  Captain |
Heather Ann Wilson (born December 30, 1960) is a leader in education and government. She is currently the 11th President of the University of Texas at El Paso. Before this, she was the 24th Secretary of the United States Air Force from 2017 to 2019.
Wilson also served as the 12th president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology from 2013 to 2017. She was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for New Mexico from 1998 to 2009. She was the first woman military veteran to be elected to a full term in Congress.
While in the U.S. House, Wilson worked on important committees. These included the Intelligence Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and the Energy and Commerce Committee.
In 2017, President Donald Trump chose Wilson to be the Secretary of the Air Force. The U.S. Senate approved her for this role. In 2019, she left this position to become the President of the University of Texas at El Paso.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Heather Wilson was born on December 30, 1960, in Keene, New Hampshire. Her mother, Martha Lou, was a nurse, and her father, George Douglas Wilson, was a commercial pilot. Heather grew up loving aviation, hoping to fly like her father and grandfather.
Her grandfather, George Gordon "Scotty" Wilson, flew for the Royal Air Force in World War I. He later became a barnstormer and airport operator in America. He also helped start the New Hampshire Civil Air Patrol. Her father began flying at age 13 and joined the United States Air Force.
Air Force Academy and Oxford
The United States Air Force Academy started accepting women when Wilson was in high school. She applied and was accepted. At the Academy, she was the first woman to lead basic training and the first woman Vice Wing Commander. She graduated in 1982 with high honors.
Wilson then received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford in England. She earned two advanced degrees in international relations by 1985. In 1990, her book, International Law and the Use of Force by National Liberation Movements, won the 1988 Paul Reuter Prize. This award is for important work in international humanitarian law.
Wilson served as an Air Force officer for seven years. She worked as a negotiator and political adviser for the U.S. Air Force in the United Kingdom. She also helped plan defense for NATO in Belgium, where she worked on arms control.
Career Highlights
National Security Council Role
After leaving the Air Force in 1989, Wilson joined the National Security Council staff. She worked for Republican President George H. W. Bush. Her main job was to help guide the U.S. position on arms control and NATO issues. This was during a very important time, as the Berlin Wall fell and the Warsaw Pact ended.
Business and Government Service
In 1991, Wilson started her own company, Keystone International, Inc., in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This company helped develop businesses in the United States and Russia.
Later, in 1995, Governor Gary Johnson appointed Wilson to lead the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department. In this role, she worked to improve child welfare laws and the juvenile justice system. She also focused on making early childhood education better. Her department opened new facilities for young offenders and made the foster care system more efficient. She also helped create laws for charter schools and annual testing in schools.
U.S. House of Representatives
Heather Wilson served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for New Mexico.
Congressional Elections
- 1998 Special Election
In 1998, Republican Congressman Steven Schiff decided not to run again due to illness. Wilson left her state job to run for his seat. She won the Republican primary election. After Congressman Schiff passed away, a special election was held on June 23. Wilson won this election, becoming the first woman since 1946, and the first Republican woman ever, to represent New Mexico in Congress.
- Later Elections
Wilson won re-election several times. In 1998, she won a full term. She also won her elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006. Her 2006 election was very close, winning by only 875 votes.
Time in Congress
Wilson was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderate Republican leaders. She was known for sometimes disagreeing with her own party. For example, she asked the Bush administration to share cost details for a new prescription drug plan. She also questioned Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld about issues at Abu Ghraib.
On October 10, 2002, Wilson voted to allow the use of military force against Iraq. She also supported a bill in 2004 to increase fines for broadcasting inappropriate language.
In 2006, Wilson, who led a House Intelligence Subcommittee, called for a full investigation into the NSA's warrantless surveillance program. She believed Congress needed to look into the program's legal basis.
U.S. Senate Campaigns
2008 Senate Campaign
In 2008, Wilson ran for a U.S. Senate seat but lost in the Republican primary election to Congressman Steve Pearce.
2012 Senate Campaign
In 2011, Senator Jeff Bingaman announced he would retire. Wilson ran for the Senate again in 2012. She won the Republican nomination but lost the general election to Democrat Martin Heinrich, who had taken her old House seat.
Academic Career
From 2013 to 2017, Wilson served as president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. She was the first woman to lead that school. She left this role to become the Secretary of the Air Force. After resigning from that position, she returned to academia as the president of the University of Texas at El Paso.
Secretary of the Air Force
On January 23, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Heather Wilson to be the Secretary of the Air Force. The U.S. Senate confirmed her on May 8, 2017. On May 16, 2017, she became the first graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy to hold this high position.
As the 24th Secretary of the Air Force, Wilson was in charge of many important things. This included organizing, training, equipping, and supplying about 685,000 active, guard, reserve, and civilian personnel and their families.
On March 8, 2019, Wilson announced she would leave this job. She resigned on May 31, 2019, to become President of the University of Texas at El Paso.
Business and Board Roles
After leaving Congress, Wilson led a consulting firm called Heather Wilson & Company.
She has also served on several company boards of directors, including Maxar Technologies, Raven Industries, and Peabody Energy. In May 2024, Wilson was appointed to the board of directors of Lockheed Martin Corporation, a large military contractor. She also serves on the boards of Google Public Sector and the Texas Space Commission.
Personal Life
Heather Wilson is a private pilot. She is married to Jay Hone, who is an attorney and a retired Air National Guard Colonel. They have two adult children and two granddaughters. Their adopted son, Scott Alexander Hone, passed away in 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Heather Wilson para niños
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
