The Honorable Gina Ortiz Jones served as the 27th Under Secretary of the Air Force, the second-highest civilian in the Department of the Air Force. Appointed by President Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in July 2021, Jones made history as the first woman of color and the first out-lesbian to serve as the under secretary of any military department.

Jones led strategic planning for the Department’s $180B+ annual budget to invest in and transition to next-generation capabilities for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, and she is credited with driving some of the most progressive personnel policy changes in the Department of Defense aimed at addressing inequities and improving recruiting, readiness, and retention.

Jones began her career in national security as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force and deployed to Camp Victory, Iraq as part of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Jones is also a veteran of the U.S. Intelligence Community and has worked on issues at the intersection of U.S. economic and national security. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Jones has advanced degrees from Boston University, the University of Kansas, and the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies.