Rounds Statement on Senate Confirmation of Dr. Heather Wilson to be Secretary of the Air Force

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today made the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Dr. Heather Wilson to serve as U.S. Secretary of the Air Force. Dr. Wilson has served as president of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) since June 2013.

“I congratulate Dr. Wilson on her confirmation to be our next Secretary of the Air Force, and I look forward to working with her,” said Rounds. “Her experience as president of SDSM&T, U.S. Congresswoman and Air Force officer makes her uniquely qualified to take on this important new role. People who work with Dr. Wilson in South Dakota describe her as a great manager and inspiring leader, traits which will be beneficial to her as she transitions into the job of Air Force Secretary.”

Dr. Wilson will be just the third female and first Air Force Academy graduate to serve as Secretary of the Air Force. Since 2013, Wilson has served as president of SDSM&T, a leading science and engineering school in the U.S. located in Rapid City. She represented New Mexico’s 1st district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1998 – 2009. 

Rounds supported Dr. Wilson's confirmation in the Senate Armed Services Committee, which had jurisdiction over her confirmation.

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