2023 Distinguished Alumnus: Jeannie Leavitt

BS ’90, Life Member - Major General Jeannie M. Leavitt (USAF retired) entered the Air Force in 1992 after earning her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from UT and her master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford. She earned her commission as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program. General Leavitt became the Air Force’s first female fighter pilot in 1993. She was the first female fighter pilot to attend and later instruct at the USAF Weapons School. As a colonel, she became the first woman to command a USAF combat fighter wing. Her last position was as the Department of the Air Force Chief of Safety at the Pentagon and Commander of the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.