Tina Westby Jonas is an expert in military, defense, and aerospace industries. She was an undersecretary of defense at the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

and had also served as chief financial officer of the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

. Jonas is currently an independent consultant in the defense and aerospace industries. She also serves in various boards in organizations in these sectors such as

The Aerospace Corporation The Aerospace Corporation is an American nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). The corporation provides technical guidance and advice on all aspects of space missions to military, civil ...

Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is a British-American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group conglomerate, which retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and opera ...

, and

National Defense Industrial Association The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is a trade association for the United States government and defense industrial base. It is an 501(c)(3) educational organization. Its headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia. NDIA was establi ...

, among others.

Education

Jonas obtained her degree in political science from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. She then completed her master's degree in liberal arts at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. She also holds executive degrees from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government,

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Kellogg School of Management The Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management (branded as Northwestern Kellogg) is the graduate business school of Northwestern University, a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois. History Early ...

, and the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

's UTC Executive Education Program.

Career

Jonas became part of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee from 1995 to 2001. She worked under U.S. Representative Jerry Lewis of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, who recommended her to Dov S. Zakheim. She was hired as one of Zakheim's deputies. In August 2002, she joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was later promoted to the position of Chief Financial Officer and assistant director of the FBI Finance Division. She was appointed the Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller), the top budget official at the Pentagon in 2004. She held this position after

Robert Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and retained b ...

became the Secretary of Defense in 2006. Jonas oversaw DoD's financial management, including the 2006 budget worth more than $400 billion. An account described Jonas as a "liberal Republican" and was opposed by Conservatives for working against

Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, businessman, and naval officer who served as United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and again ...

. She was also criticized by some defense officials for her treatment of senior budget officials who refused to work for her and eventually resigned during her years at the Pentagon. In her tenure, Jonas shut down the international office that coordinated the Afghanistan reconstruction, which was created by Zakheim. Jonas focused on the traditional role of the Defense comptroller until she ended her service in 2008. For her public service, Jonas was awarded the Distinguished Public Service at the DoD, the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Distinguished Public Service Award for the Department of the Navy as well as the Army and Coast Guard, and the DOD Inspector General's Award for Excellence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonas, Tina W. George W. Bush administration personnel American chief executives United States Under Secretaries of Defense Arizona State University alumni Georgetown University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Living people