Heather K. Wingate serves as Senior Vice President, Government Affairs for Delta Air Lines. Her responsibilities include managing Delta’s Federal and International government relations teams. She is responsible for developing and advocating Delta’s public policy positions with the White House, the Administration, and Congress. She also oversees Delta’s political engagement and relationships with think tanks, industry coalitions, and other public policy organizations.
Prior to joining Delta in October 2017, Heather spent five years as the Head of Global Government Relations for MetLife. Her responsibilities included managing MetLife's State, Federal, and international government relations teams, as well as its Regulatory Policy Group, responsible for MetLife’s engagement on public policy and regulatory issues at all levels of government. From May 2010 to October 2012, she was Managing Director of Public Affairs for Nomura Holding America, Inc., where she established and ran the company's Washington office. From 2003 to April 2010, she served as Managing Director and Head of Federal Government Affairs at Citi in Washington.
Heather has served in several public sector positions, including as Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs and subsequently as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs from 2001 to 2003, where she promoted the President's legislative agenda before the U.S. Senate. In addition to her executive branch experience, Heather worked in the U.S. Senate from 1997 to 2001, serving as Chief of Staff to then-Senator Sam Brownback. She practiced law in Washington from 1993-1995 and began her Washington career as an intern to then-Senator Bob Dole in 1989.
Heather received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Kansas in 1989 and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1993. She is a member of the Kansas Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar.
She serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington International Horse Show and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Government Affairs 50/World 50 group and the Economic Club of Washington, DC. She previously served on the National Presbyterian School Board of Trustees (2016- 2022); the board of Women's Policy, Inc., and the board of the Business-Government Relations Council. She formerly served as the President of the Kansas Society of Washington, DC, a nonprofit member of the National Conference of State Societies.