UTEP Might Just Have Their Next President in Dr. Heather Wilson

News broke this morning that U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson will resign from her position to become the next president of UTEP.

The UT System Board of Regents announced her selection on Friday as the one and only finalist to be voted on.

Dr. Wilson will succeed Dr. Diana Natalicio, who retired last May after serving 30 years at the university. Wilson, who formally served as a Republican representative of Albuquerque, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for five separate terms.

She was nominated to be the Air Force secretary in 2017 by President Donald Trump and had been in the rumblings of being named the next U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Dr. Wilson was the first woman president of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where she was president from 2013-2017.

In regards to athletics, she helped South Dakota School of Mines and Technology athletics transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. As we've said on the program before, it will be imperative for the next president to work hand-in-hand with UTEP's athletic department in order to advance in their ways. Jim Senter's vision that he's been pitching needs additional support and with Dr. Wilson in place, she has a chance to make lasting relationships with the athletic department and grow in various ways.