RICHMOND, Va. –
Retired Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, who served as the 28th Adjutant General of Virginia, was selected by Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger to serve as the Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, according to a news release from the incoming governor’s communications team Dec. 22, 2025.
Williams, who retired from the VNG in 2023, succeeds retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Craig Crenshaw, who was appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021.
“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 in the official announcement. “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 service members — 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 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.”
Williams was officially sworn in as Adjutant General June 2, 2014, and was reappointed twice until relinquishing command of the VNG to Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the current Adjutant General of Virginia, in 2023, when he retired. He served in the United States Army and Virginia National Guard for a total of 38 years. Since his retirement from the Guard, Williams has worked as an adviser to the chief of the National Guard Bureau for intergovernmental affairs.
Williams, a lifelong Virginian and a 1985 graduate of Virginia Tech, earned his commission as a field artillery officer. He has served at every level 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 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.
Read the full official announcement at https://vngpao.info/yz3caas2.