RICHMOND, Va. — Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger today announced the appointment of U.S. Army Major General Timothy P. Williams (Ret.) to serve as Virginia’s next Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs.
Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams served under three different governors as the Adjutant General of Virginia for nine years and retired in 2023 after 38 years in the U.S. Army.
“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,” said Spanberger. “During my time in Congress, I had the honor of seeing Major General Williams’ commitment to his fellow Virginians firsthand as we worked together to support Virginia’s National Guard members. That’s why I’m proud to announce him as Virginia’s next Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs. I know his decades of experience at every level of the military and extensive career supporting Veterans across the country will be a great benefit to Virginia’s Veterans and servicemembers — including those transitioning out of active duty.”
“I am humbled by Governor-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, especially the more than 600,000 Veterans who call Virginia home. I look forward to working with Governor-elect Spanberger and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services to make sure those Veterans receive the benefits, care and services they earned,” said Maj. Gen. Williams. “I share Governor-elect Spanberger’s focus on making sure Virginia communities have the resources they need to keep their citizens safe, so we will make sure the Virginia National Guard is always ready and always there to rapidly respond as part of Virginia’s multi-agency team to provide capabilities when Virginians are impacted by severe weather or a security threat. We will work together to protect Virginia’s current military infrastructure which is so vital to the security of not just the Commonwealth, but the entire country.”
BIOGRAPHY
Retired U.S. Army Major General Timothy P. Williams, Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs
Retired U.S. Army Major General Timothy P. Williams served under three different governors as the Adjutant General of Virginia for nine years and retired in 2023 after 38 years in the U.S. Army. As the Adjutant General, he was agency head for the Virginia Department of Military Affairs, the state agency providing leadership and administrative support to the Virginia Army National Guard, Virginia Air National Guard and Virginia Defense Force.
Williams led the VA National Guard through an unprecedented operational tempo that included the organization’s support to Virginia’s COVID-19 response lasting more than 460 days where they assisted with vaccinations, testing and administrative, logistics and planning support at locations across the state to help keep their fellow Virginians safe during the global pandemic. VA National Guard personnel quickly deployed to assist civilian law enforcement with the January 6 civil disturbance response in Washington, D.C. and stayed to support security operations at the 59th Presidential Inauguration. During Williams’ last two years as Adjutant General, more than 2,000 Virginia National Guard personnel mobilized on federal active duty in the United States and overseas, the third most in the last century.
Since his retirement in 2023, Williams has been the advisor to the Chief of National Guard Bureau (NGB) on Intergovernmental Affairs where he supported the development of policies and legislative agenda that was coordinated across the NGB Joint Staff, Directors of the Army and Air National Guard as well as the 54 Adjutants General and their respective states, territories and the District of Columbia.
Williams, a lifelong Virginian and a 1984 graduate of Virginia Tech, earned his commission as a field artillery officer. He has served at every level of the military beginning with a tour on active duty with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and then transitioning to the Virginia Army National Guard in 1990. Williams served much of his military career as a traditional status National Guard Soldier and he also built a career as a federal civil servant culminating as the Director of Training Support and Doctrine at the Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee, Virginia.
He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Management Science from Virginia Tech and has a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Most importantly, General Williams has been married to his college sweetheart, Cheryl, for 39 years. They have three wonderful children as well as two daughters-in-law, one son-in-law, and three grandchildren.
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