Terrie L. Suit (born October 3, 1964 in

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) is an American politician and businesswoman. A Republican, she was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 2000 to 2008. In April 2011, she became the state's first Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, a position she held until September 2013.

Life and education

Suit attended Tidewater Community College where she received her associate degree. She later attended

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

where she earned a B.S. degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. Suit returned to Tidewater Community College in the spring of 2007 to give the graduation commencement address to the class of 2007. She is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Business career

Suit worked for a number of years in banking and finance as both an NASD licensed representative and as a mortgage loan officer. Suit was a member of numerous civic organizations in the

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

area including the Chesapeake Farm Bureau, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, South Hampton Roads BRAC Working Group and Virginia Republican Party State Central Committee. Suit has also won numerous awards including the John Marshall Award, the Hampton Roads Outstanding Professional Woman in Public Service, Virginia Women's Attorneys’ Association, Advocacy Award of Excellence and YWCA, Woman of Distinction.

Political career

Suit was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2000 to 2008, representing the 81st district, which consisted of parts of the cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. She was chair of the General Laws committee and Deputy House Whip in the 2008 session. On September 9, 2008, Suit announced her retirement from the House, effective October 12. She cited the retirement of her husband, Tom, from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, as influencing her own decision. While Suit's initial plan was to join the government affairs team at the Law Firm of Williams Mullen, she left the firm after one year to join the Cabinet of newly elected Governor Robert F. McDonnell, where she served initially as his Assistant for Commonwealth Preparedness, Senior Advisor on Military Relations, and Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, and later as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suit, Terrie L. Living people Members of the Virginia House of Delegates State cabinet secretaries of Virginia Old Dominion University alumni Politicians from Virginia Beach, Virginia Women state legislators in Virginia 1964 births 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly 21st-century American women politicians University of Mary Washington alumni 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly