The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women
November 11, 2025
When Dr. Allison Hickey walks into a room, she carries both authority and wisdom, the kind that’s only forged through decades of lived leadership and passionate service. A retired Brigadier General, former Under Secretary for Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, entrepreneur, and theologian, Hickey’s life tells a story of perseverance, purpose, and prophetic advocacy.
“I’ve always known I was meant to have a different kind of voice and platform,” she shared. “Sometimes, somebody outside of ordained leadership can open doors others can’t.” That conviction has shaped every chapter of her journey— from being among the first women to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy, pioneering transformative advocacy for millions of veterans, to her most recent pursuit: equipping leaders and congregations to build a theology of equal worth for women and men alike.
Hickey’s story begins in a military family where service was a way of life and possibility was affirmed early. Her parents encouraged her ambition to join the armed forces at a time when women’s inclusion was still a question, not a given. In 1976, she joined the first class of women admitted to the U.S. Air Force Academy under the law that opened military academies to women. “It was life changing,” she recalls. “It began my career, and it was where I met my husband.” Graduating in 1980 with 98 other women, she learned what it meant to lead when the world was still unsure whether women should. Even as a cadet, she found herself speaking up for those whose voices were overlooked. “There’s a yin and a yang when you stand up for a body of people,” she reflects. “But I was always called to do that— to advocate for women and their place in church and society.”
Her pioneering path continued as a pilot, wife, and mother. While stationed in Spain, Hickey pioneered another “first” for women. Shortly after the Air Force lifted restrictions on flying while pregnant, Hickey discovered she was expecting, making her son the first baby to “fly in utero.” After transitioning to the Air National Guard to raise her family, she retired as a Brigadier General at the Pentagon. From there, she stepped into civilian leadership, serving in industry before being appointed by President Barack Obama as Under Secretary for Benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs. With a $95 billion budget and millions of veterans depending on her leadership, Hickey helped move the VA into the digital age, digitizing claims, reducing backlogs by 90%, and improving access to benefits. “We did some phenomenally groundbreaking things in terms of helping veterans access their benefits,” she said. Her philosophy of leadership, refined through years of service, was deeply pastoral at its core. “When you ask people to do something outside their norm,” she explains, “you can’t force them into it, you have to walk with them into it.”
After decades in uniform, Hickey earned both a Master of Theological Studies and a Doctor of Ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary, sensing God’s invitation to a new kind of mission, one that would equip others to live into the fullness of their calling. “I have a soteriological imperative,” she says with conviction. “We can’t be on the journey to Christian perfection if we don’t have the tools we need.” Her doctoral work focused on the inclusion of women’s voices in the life of the church. When she surveyed clergy and lay leaders across denominations, men and women alike expressed the same truth: “We need more women exemplars. Their stories need to be told, and they need to be preached.” The resulting research became a practical theological resource: a curriculum designed to help congregations recognize the full image of God in women and men alike. “It not only impacts the salvation of women and girls in our communities,” she notes, “but it impacts men and boys in how they see women.”
For Hickey, this calling is inseparable from her entrepreneurial work. As the founder of a woman-owned business focused on mission enablement, she continues to build bridges between purpose and practice. Her company provides IT solutions, medical disability exams for veterans, and workforce development programs that create pathways from military service to civilian careers. “I also discovered how much need there was in underserved communities for career work,” she explains. “We can get people into a job, build their skills, help them get licensed or certified, and we hire from within on purpose.” This, too, is ministry: enabling transformation that honors the dignity of every person.
Now, as the nation marks fifty years since women were first admitted to the military academies, Hickey reflects on how much has changed and how much is at risk. “It took fifty years to break down those barriers— blood, sweat, tears, and physical suffering, and frankly, it’s being undone in one fell swoop.” She speaks with both grief and urgency about the erasure of women’s contributions, noting that under the current administration, references to women in service are quietly disappearing from official websites and digital archives. For Hickey, this isn’t nostalgia, it’s a call to action. “The stories of women who broke barriers are being scrubbed from the internet,” she says. “Our stories matter— they must be protected.” “By telling women’s stories, we raise the theology of equal worth. It’s not only about justice; it’s about salvation. Because when we erase the stories of women, we distort the image of God.”
Her eight-year theological journey has produced not only research and resources but also a prophetic reminder that equality is not a side issue, it is central to Christian discipleship. “This isn’t about me,” she insists. “It’s about the people coming after us who deserve to see themselves in the story of faith.” For Hickey, every act of leadership, whether in the military, the marketplace, or the church, is an extension of her calling to participate in God’s redemptive work in the world. Her journey, spanning the cockpit, command post, and communion table, embodies precisely that. A laywoman with a general’s resolve and a disciple’s heart, Dr. Allison Hickey continues to walk with others into change, believing that true salvation is never just personal, but communal. Through her voice, her scholarship, and her life of service, The Honorable Brigadier General (Ret.) Dr. Allison Hickey continues to lead—believing that the journey to wholeness, like faith itself, must always make room for every story.