- Barbara M. Barrett is the 25th Secretary of the Air Force. She leads the Department of the Air Force, comprised of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.
- Overseeing an annual budget of more than $205 billion, Secretary Barrett is responsible for organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of 695,000 Airmen, Space Professionals and their families.
- During her career, she has served in a wide variety of senior leadership positions in both the public and private sectors as well as academia.
- In addition to serving as an executive with two global Fortune 500 companies before she was 30 years old, Secretary Barrett’s leadership roles include serving as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, President of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and U.S. Ambassador to Finland.
- She has served as a board member for multiple organizations focused on diplomacy, defense, aeronautics, science and space, including the U.S.–Afghan Women's Council, the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, the Defense Business Board, RAND Corporation, California Institute of Technology, and Space Foundation.
- She chaired groups including the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, the U.S. Commerce Secretary’s biennial Export Conference and the U.S. Department of State’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Working Group.
- Notably, she was a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and taught leadership as a Harvard Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government.
- Prior to assuming her current position, Secretary Barrett was the Chairman of the Board for The Aerospace Corporation.