Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson will resign to pursue a job in academia. Wilson, who has served in the role for about two years, nearly lost her job in October after she clashed with acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan over the creation of President Trump’s Space Force, Military Times reports. But in recent months, the outlet noted, the tensions eased—and her name had reportedly even been floated as the permanent defense secretary successor for James Mattis. Wilson announced her departure in a tweet Friday. “Today I informed the President I will resign as Secretary of the Air Force to be President of the University of Texas at El Paso,” she said. “It has been a privilege to serve with our #Airmen—I am proud of the progress we have made to restore the readiness & lethality of #USAF.” TheUniversity of Texas System Board of Regents announced Friday that Wilson is the only finalist in the running to be the president of the University of Texas at El Paso.
