Barbara Barrett

Barbara McConnell Barrett (born December 26, 1950) is an American businesswoman, attorney and diplomat who served as the United States secretary of the Air Force from 2019 to 2021. She is also an instrument-rated pilot, and cattle and bison rancher. As the 25th secretary of the Air Force, Barrett led the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, comprising the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. Barrett is former chair of the Aerospace Corporation and a member on the boards of California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, RAND Corporation, Smithsonian Institution, Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, and Lasker Foundation. On May 21, 2019, President Donald Trump announced he would nominate Barrett as Secretary of the Air Force. The U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 85–7 on October 16, 2019. She was sworn in October 18, 2019. On June 23, 2021, Barrett was appointed to the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution by a joint resolution of the House of Representatives and the Senate, filling the vacancy created by the expiration of David M. Rubenstein's tenure on the board. Barrett's appointment will last for a term of 1912 days, ending on September 17, 2026.