| March 16, 2004 |
Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) was appointed Tuesday to the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, a board that is expanding its role as an outside oversight body for the President of the United States and Congress.
Granger was nominated to the 15-member board of visitors by House Speaker Dennis Hastert and received approval by her colleagues. She replaces House Appropriations Chairman C.W. (Bill) Young, (R-Florida) who recently stepped down from the post.
The board is required to visit the academy at least annually and assess the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical education, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other matters. The board reports its findings to the President of the United States in an annual report.
Granger joins the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors as it increases its role in the wake of recent sexual assault investigations at the academy.
The board’s next meeting, which will be Granger’s first, will be in May.
"Congresswoman Granger is a leader in the House of Representatives on defense matters. Kay's first-hand knowledge, along with experience as a former educator, will be invaluable to the U.S. Air Force Academy as it carries out its mission to produce the best, well-rounded officers that will lead our Air Force into the 21st Century," Speaker Hastert said.
"As co-chair of the Defense Aerospace Working Group and member of the House Appropriations Committee's Military Construction Subcommittee, Kay understands complex and challenging defense issues and how those issues impact the brave men and women wearing our uniform, the U.S. military's service structure, as well as military contractors and other suppliers."
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) recently named Granger as the U.S. House of Representative Republicans’ chair of a Congressional working group that will identify key issues facing the defense and aerospace industry and what must be done to address these issues over the next few years.
Granger is co-chairing the "Defense Aerospace Working Group" with Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss. By chairing the working group, they will serve as liaisons between the House and Senate leaders and the defense industry.
Granger considers the military academies an important part of America’s military.
"A strong and responsive national defense depends not only on good equipment, but also on good military personnel," Granger said.
"The U.S. Air Force Academy, along with the other military academies, is focused on training today’s youth to become the military leaders of tomorrow; the elite training they receive at these academies ensures that our national defense is second to none. "As a former educator, I know the importance of an environment that nurtures learning. I want to do what I can to make the Air Force Academy a premier institution of higher learning and one whose graduates are ready to take on leadership roles."
As a member of the Academy’s Board of Visitors, Granger will meet four times a year to review how the academy is carrying out its mission. Two meetings will be conducted at the academy’s Colorado Springs campus and two will be conducted in Washington.
The Board of Visitors has 15 members. The President of the United States appoints six members to the board. The other nine board members are appointed by either the House or the Senate. Of the nine, four are named by the Speaker of the House. Of the four, at least two must be members of the House Appropriations Committee.
James S. Gilmore III, a former Virginia governor, is chair of the board of visitors; Don E. Aviles, a Houston engineering firm owner, is vice chair. Both are presidential appointees.
Granger is the first Republican woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas. Long active in local, state and national government and civic affairs, Granger is recognized for her energetic and sensible leadership.
Granger is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Republican leadership, serving as a deputy majority whip and the co-chair of the new Defense Aerospace Working Group. She also serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and is an original member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security.
She sits on three important Appropriations Subcommittees: Homeland Security, Military Construction and Labor/Health and Human Services/Education. Her district includes the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base-Fort Worth, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter Textron, as well as smaller defense contractors.