Dr. Shelia E. Widnall served as the 18th Secretary of the Air Force (SecAF) from August 6, 1993 through October 31, 1997 under President Bill Clinton. Dr. Widnall was the first female Secretary of the Air Force and the first woman to lead an entire branch of the U.S. military in the Department of Defense.

On July 4, 1993, in the wake of the Tailhook scandal, President Bill Clinton announced her nomination to be Secretary of the Air Force.