AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The first woman to lead the U.S. Air Force Academy is retiring after more than 3½ years.
The school announced Thursday that Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson will step down this year. The date hasn't been announced.
Johnson hasn't disclosed her plans, but she's one of three finalists to become chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The Air Force Academy is just outside Colorado Springs.
Johnson is a 1981 graduate of the academy and became superintendent in August 2013. She was the first woman to lead any of the three major military academies — Air Force, Army and Navy.
She was the academy's first female Rhodes scholar and was a varsity basketball player.
Later, she was a command pilot with more than 3,600 hours in different aircraft.
