Barbara McConnell Barrett[1] (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.[2]
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.
On May 21, 2019, President Donald Trump announced he would nominate Barrett as Secretary of the Air Force.[4] The U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 85–7 on October 16, 2019.[5][6] She was sworn in October 18, 2019.[7] 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.[8] Barrett's appointment will last for a term of 1912 days, ending on September 17, 2026.
Barrett was founding chair of Valley Bank of Arizona, and partner at Evans, Kitchel and Jenckes, a large Phoenix law firm. Before the age of 30, she was an executive of two global Fortune 500 companies.
In her community, Barrett was chair of the Arizona District Export Council, World Affairs Council, and Economic Club of Phoenix.
She also served on the boards of Space Foundation, Sally Ride Science, the Center for International Private Enterprise, the Smithsonian Institution, Caltech, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Hershey Trust Company, Mayo Clinic, the Lasker Foundation, Exponent Corporation,[9]Raytheon, and Piper Aircraft. She was president of the International Women's Forum from 1999 through 2001.
Barrett has been the owner and CEO of the Triple Creek Guest Ranch since 1994.
Political and diplomatic career
Gubernatorial campaign
In 1994, she sought to become the first female Republican candidate for Governor of Arizona. She ran in the Republican primary against incumbent governor Fife Symington, but failed to win her party's nomination.[10]
U.S. ambassador to Finland
In 2008 and 2009, Barrett was U.S. ambassador to Finland under President George W. Bush. Barrett was also a senior advisor to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a participant with Global Leadership Foundation, Club of Madrid and World Economic Forum. She served as chairman for the State Department's Women's Economic Empowerment Working Group, U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy and U.S. Secretary of Commerce's Export Conference.
Secretary of the Air Force
On October 16, 2019, Barrett was confirmed as the 25th secretary of the Air Force by a vote of 85–7.[5][6] She was sworn in on October 18, 2019.[7] On January 12, 2021, Barrett announced that she would resign as Air Force Secretary a day before January 20 inauguration.[11][12]
Academic career
Barrett speaking at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in November 2017
In 2000, Arizona State University renamed its Honors College “The Craig and Barbara Barrett Honors College” or Barrett, The Honors College in recognition of a $10 million donation from Barbara and her husband, the then-CEO of Intel, Craig Barrett.[15]
Barrett was born on a farm in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.[19] She is married to Craig Barrett, retired chairman and CEO of Intel. She climbed Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro in August 2007 and bicycled 900 kilometers throughout Finland while ambassador.
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