Sheila Widnall

The first woman to serve as United States Secretary of the Air Force, Widnall held that post from 1993 to 1997, becoming the first woman to lead an entire branch of the United States Armed Forces in the Department of Defense. She was also an aerospace researcher and Institute Professor Emerita at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Widnall was elected to both the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.