Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson announced Friday her resignation, which will go into effect in May.
As secretary, Wilson oversees the welfare, organizing, training and equipping of active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian employees and their families.
Wilson also oversees the lethality and readiness of the Air Force and the branch’s annual budget of more than $138 billion.
There are 685,000 members of the Air Force, a 15 percent increase from 2017. The budget is used for technology investments, weapons acquisition, human resource management, risk management, and for directing strategy and policy development worldwide.
“We hit the lottery with Secretary Wilson,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein said. “Under her leadership, we became a better U.S. Air Force and our Airmen will continue rowing hard, becoming even faster, smarter. As she takes her talent and leadership to my home state of Texas, I wish her the very best.”
Wilson has been Air Force secretary since May 2017 and is leaving to serve as president of the University of Texas at El Paso.
She previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, as president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and as a member of the National Security Council staff.