Spanberger names longtime National Guard leader as next veterans secretary

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger on Monday announced she has selected retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Timothy Williams to serve as Virginia’s next secretary of veterans and defense affairs, tapping a longtime military leader who spent nearly four decades in uniform and led the Virginia National Guard through some of its most demanding recent missions.

Williams, who retired in 2023 after 38 years in the armed forces, served for nine years as Virginia’s adjutant general under three governors. In that role, he oversaw the Virginia Department of Military Affairs, which provides leadership and administrative support to the Virginia Army National Guard, Virginia Air National Guard and Virginia Defense Force.

“With Virginia having one of the largest veteran populations in the United States, we must have steady, experienced leadership focused on the health, education, and employment of our neighbors who have served our country and our commonwealth,” Spanberger said in a statement. 

She said she worked closely with Williams during her time in Congress on issues affecting the Virginia National Guard and praised his “decades of experience at every level of the military” and his career supporting veterans nationwide.

Spanberger said that experience would benefit Virginia’s veterans and service members, including those transitioning out of active duty.

Williams said he was honored by the appointment and emphasized his focus on serving Virginia’s more than 600,000 veterans.

“I am humbled by Gov.-elect Spanberger asking me to serve as the Virginia secretary of veterans and defense affairs, and it would be an absolute honor to continue to serve and support my fellow Virginians,” Williams said. 

He said he looked forward to working with Spanberger and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services to ensure veterans “receive the benefits, care and services they earned.”

Williams also highlighted the importance of readiness and public safety, saying he shares Spanberger’s focus on ensuring communities have the resources they need to keep residents safe. 

He said maintaining a ready Virginia National Guard would remain a priority, particularly for rapid responses to severe weather or security threats, and pledged to work to protect Virginia’s military infrastructure.

As adjutant general, Williams led the Virginia National Guard during an unusually high operational tempo. That included more than 460 days of support to Virginia’s COVID-19 response, with Guard members assisting in vaccinations, testing and logistical and planning efforts across the state. 

Guard personnel under his leadership also deployed to Washington, D.C., following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and remained in place to support security operations for the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

During Williams’ final two years as adjutant general, more than 2,000 Virginia National Guard members mobilized on federal active duty in the United States and overseas, the third-highest total in the past century, according to the announcement.

Since retiring from the Guard, Williams has served as an adviser to the chief of the National Guard Bureau on intergovernmental affairs, helping coordinate policy development and legislative priorities across the bureau’s joint staff, the Army and Air National Guard, and adjutants general in all states, territories and the District of Columbia.

A lifelong Virginian, Williams graduated from Virginia Tech in 1984 and earned his commission as a field artillery officer. He later built a parallel career as a federal civil servant, culminating as director of training support and doctrine at the Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee.

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in management science from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in management from Webster University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College. 

He and his wife, Cheryl, have been married for 39 years and have three children and three grandchildren.

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