Terrie L. Suit (born October 3, 1964 in

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

and businesswoman. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, she was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

2000–2008. In April 2011, she became the state's first Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, a position she held until September 2013.

Life and education

Suit attended

Tidewater Community College Tidewater Community College (TCC) is a public community college in South Hampton Roads, Virginia, with campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. It is part of the Virginia Community College System and is accredit ...

where she received her associate degree. She later attended

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia w ...

where she earned a B.S. degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. Suit returned to Tidewater Community College in the spring of 2007 to give the graduation commencement address to the class of 2007. She is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Business career

Suit worked for a number of years in banking and finance as both an NASD licensed representative and as a

mortgage A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any ...

loan officer Loan officers evaluate, authorize, or recommend approval of loan applications for people and businesses. Most loan officers are employed by commercial banks, credit unions, mortgage companies, and related financial institutions. Mortgage loan offi ...

. Suit was a member of numerous civic organizations in the Hampton Roads area including the Chesapeake Farm Bureau, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, South Hampton Roads BRAC Working Group and Virginia Republican Party State Central Committee. Suit has also won numerous awards including the John Marshall Award, the Hampton Roads Outstanding Professional Woman in Public Service, Virginia Women's Attorneys’ Association, Advocacy Award of Excellence and YWCA, Woman of Distinction.

Political career

Suit was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2000 to 2008, representing the 81st district, which consisted of parts of the cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. She was chair of the General Laws committee and Deputy House Whip in the 2008 session. On September 9, 2008, Suit announced her retirement from the House, effective October 12. She cited the retirement of her husband, Tom, from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, as influencing her own decision. While Suit's initial plan was to join the government affairs team at the Law Firm of Williams Mullen, she left the firm after one year to join the Cabinet of newly elected Governor Robert F. McDonnell, where she served initially as his Assistant for Commonwealth Preparedness, Senior Advisor on Military Relations, and Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, and later as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suit, Terrie L. Living people Members of the Virginia House of Delegates State cabinet secretaries of Virginia Old Dominion University alumni Politicians from Virginia Beach, Virginia Women state legislators in Virginia 1964 births 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians University of Mary Washington alumni