Pepperdine University Hosts Former Secretary of the United States Air Force Barbara Barrett for President’s Speaker Series
MALIBU, Calif. – Today, Pepperdine University President Jim Gash welcomed Barbara Barrett, former Secretary of the United States Air Force, for the third installment of the 2024-25 President’s Speaker Series. Barrett shared insights from her distinguished career—including her tenure as Secretary of the Air Force and her pivotal role in the founding of the United States Space Force—and discussed the impact of aerospace technology and her perspective on the meaning of freedom. About 150 members of the Pepperdine community and friends of the university attended the event in Pepperdine’s Surfboard Room in Malibu.
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President Gash introduced Barrett by illustrating her connection to the university, having received an Honorary Doctorate from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School in 2010.
“It’s hard to imagine someone who better embodies purpose, service, and leadership than Barbara Barrett,” Gash said, noting the university’s mission statement.
Growing up in a small Pennsylvania town, Barrett lived on a dirt road with her siblings, mother, and hardworking father who raised cattle and crops. He passed away when Barrett was 13 years old, making her the sole source of income for her family from then on. Reflecting on her father’s importance in her life, Barrett quoted him as saying, “Education is key to success. It is the first major decision a young person must make and the most important.”
Barrett later earned her law degree and worked for Fortune 500 companies Greyhound and Southwest Forest Industries. She interned for Sandra Day O'Connor, former U.S. Supreme Court justice, during O'Connor’s term as an elected Arizona State senator and gleaned from her mentorship. Barrett also credited her relationship with Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, as inspiring in her career journey.
“I saw that a woman can really make a difference in others' lives,” said Barrett, commenting on the early days of women in leadership positions.
In addition to her professional success, Barrett shared impressive recreational experiences, including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with her husband Craig, her brother, and her brother’s wife. “Every year, I want to do something that is an exertive vacation,” she shared.
After giving her husband a gift certificate for flying lessons that approached expiration, Barrett decided to redeem it herself and learn how to fly. She later attended Luftansa pilot training in Arizona when women were only allowed to fly certain planes. Barrett believed that “hand-eye coordination would matter more than body packaging” and became the first civilian woman to land a F/A-18 Hornet on an aircraft carrier.
Gash asked Barrett about her time as United States Ambassador to Finland from 2008 to 2009. Having previously chaired the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Barrett noted, “I should be the textbook example of how to do public diplomacy well.” She shared how her experience led her to make connections in Finland and appreciate the country’s commitment to freedom.
Barrett later served as the Secretary of the United States Air Force from 2019 to 2021, when she helped establish the United States Space Force. When asked why she prioritized space, Barrett mentioned many Americans’ routine activities, for example, in checking the weather and traffic. “Our way of life is dependent on space,” she said. “Because so much of the public is unaware of that, we have underfunded our assets in space.” Barrett thus accelerated modernization for the Space Force and was personally trained and certified for space flight, further demonstrating her commitment to advancement in the field. “I’ve had a life that is so much more than I ever dreamed possible,” she shared.
During the event’s final questions, Barrett shared advice for Pepperdine students, such as building efficient systems, valuing people, and adapting as needed. “Have a plan, but stay flexible and opportunistic for things that may come up beyond the plan,” she said. “Try everything.”
In closing, President Gash gifted Barrett with a freedom coin, symbolizing Pepperdine’s theme for the year.
“Freedom is everything,” Barrett remarked. “Freedom is an opportunity to excel, to form friendships, to interact with people with varying perspectives and experiences. Freedom means you can be what you make of yourself…Freedom is something that is not guaranteed. You have to fight for it, and it’s worth fighting for."
Pepperdine University’s President's Speaker Series welcomes distinguished scholars and thought leaders representing diverse points of view to examine topics and issues facing our communities and the world today. Driven by a desire to connect deeply with our community and inspire meaningful dialogue in the pursuit of truth, the series provides opportunities to cultivate an engaged and impassioned collective through civil discourse.
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About Barbara Barrett
Barbara Barrett, 25th Secretary of the United States Air Force, was instrumental in establishing the United States Space Force.
Barrett chairs the USS Arizona Legacy Foundation supporting the new Virginia-class submarine under construction, whose name will honor the battleship lost at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Barrett is Vice Chair of the Smithsonian Board of Regents. She is also Vice Chair of the California Institute of Technology, where she chairs the governance body overseeing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She is President of the Horatio Alger Association Board of Directors.
In past business roles, Barrett chaired the Aerospace Corporation for four terms and was Founding Chair of Valley Bank of Arizona. She also served on governing boards of the RAND Corporation, Raytheon, Mayo Clinic, and the Space Foundation. She was an executive at two global Fortune 500 companies and interim CEO of both the American Management Association and the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
In President George W. Bush’s administration, Barrett served as US Ambassador to Finland. During the Reagan administration, she was Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and Vice Chair of the Civil Aeronautics Board. She served as a civilian advisor to a dozen secretaries of defense.
An instrument-rated pilot, she is also spaceflight qualified. The daughter of an Arizona cowboy, Barbara and Craig Barrett own Triple Creek Guest Ranch, a Montana ranch resort where they raise cattle and bison.
About Pepperdine University
Founded in 1937, Pepperdine University is an independent, Christian university located 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles in scenic Malibu, California. The University enrolls approximately 10,300 students across its flagship liberal arts school, Seaver College; the College of Health Science, and four graduate schools—the Caruso School of Law; the Graziadio Business School; the Graduate School of Education and Psychology; and the School of Public Policy. Pepperdine is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. Follow Pepperdine on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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