hold that position. As secretary, Aragon will be Fallin's chief adviser on matters related to the policies and operations of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. Aragon was sworn in as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on January 10, 2011. Personal life In addition to her military career, Aragon has served as an elementary school teacher and an elementary school principal. She was named an OKC Chamber of Commerce Excellent Educator of the Year in 1990 and an Oklahoma City Principal of the Year in 1992. Aragon also serves on the boards of the Red Cross Chapter of Central Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women and the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma. She was named by The Journal Record as 2008 Woman of the Year and in 2009, she was inducted in the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame. Awards and decorations Effective dates of promotion References Governor-elect Fallin names Aragon Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Office of Governor-elect Mary Fallin, 11-18-2011 Fallin names veterans affairs secretary, Tulsa World, by World Capital Bureau, 11-19-10 Aragon honored as Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame inductee The Norman Transcript External links Rita Aragon official National Guard Bureau biography Oral History Interview with Rita Aragon Living people United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit State cabinet secretaries of Oklahoma 1948 births Female United States Air Force personnel University of Central Oklahoma alumni Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women