US Air Force (USAF) Secretary Heather Wilson will resign on 31 May to become the next president of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), pending approval by the University of Texas system board of regents.
If approved, Wilson would become UTEP president on 1 September. Board of Regents announced on 8 March that Wilson was named the sole finalist to become UTEP president.
USAF Secretary Heather Wilson will retire on 31 May to become the next president at the University of Texas at El Paso, pending approval from the University of Texas system board of regents. (USAF)
Texas law requires a 21-day waiting period, which Board of Regents spokesperson Karen Adler said is supposed to make the source selection process more transparent so community members and stakeholders can learn more about a finalist before performing a final vote. Hiring processes for positions that involve high-profile candidates such as Wilson are usually done quietly to avoid the employers of candidates learning that they are looking for new positions.
Wilson’s resignation will give her time to lead the USAF’s fiscal year 2020 (FY 2020) budget request into the authorisation and appropriations processes. The budget will be released on 12 March with Wilson slated to testify to the Senate Appropriations defence subcommittee on 13 March.
The move to UTEP would be a return to academia for Wilson, who held the position of president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology from 2013 until 2017. . Wilson was was one of the first Pentagon leaders appointed by President Donald Trump after he was inaugurated on 20 January 2017 and took over as USAF secretary in May that year.
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