Obama to nominate REI chief Sally Jewell for Interior Secretary

[cali]

President Barack Obama on Wednesday will nominate Sally Jewell, president and CEO of the outdoor and recreational retailer REI, to replace outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the White House confirmed to POLITICO.

The pick, first reported by The Washington Post, would be well received by environmental groups yet also offer something for the oil and gas industry: Jewell is a board member of the National Parks Conservation Association and was a young petroleum engineer at Mobil before it merged with Exxon.

A former Interior Department official quickly praised Jewell.

“Sally has overseen the growth of a $1.8 billion company consistently ranked among the best U.S. companies for which to work. An engineer by training, she is a practical, no-nonsense leader who is focused on results,” the former DOI official said in an email. “Will bring fresh perspective and new ideas: A problem-solver by nature, Sally brings people together to find new solutions to old challenges. She knows Washington, D.C., but she also has the much-needed perspective of a business leader who has forged a career outside of D.C.'s partisanship and politics.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/obama-to-nominate-rei-chief-sally-jewell-for-interior-secretary-87250.html#ixzz2K805Rict

[FSogol]

1. Good choice, imo. n/t

[obamanut2012]

2. Good choice imo

[Sherman A1]

3. Hopefully a good pick

sounds good on the surface at least.

[Octafish]

4. Congrats to the 'young petrochemical engineer.'

When America's business is defined as business, she's eminently qualified.

[mucifer]

5. You should read this:

The company donates millions to conservation causes every year and has worked to introduce city children to the outdoors. Jewell has won a number of environmental awards, including the Audubon Society's Rachel Carson Award.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/06/sally-jewel-obama-interior-secretary

She might be a reformed Oil Engineer.

[Octafish]

6. Thank you, mucifer.

Perhaps she is at that. Anyone who climbs Antarctic mountains can't be all bad.



PS: My initial knee-jerk reaction is in response to the seemingly endless line of officials who have been captive to their employers past and future. Neil Barofsky explained:

"You can play ball and good things can happen to you get a big pot of gold at the end of the Wall Street rainbow or you can do your job be aggressive and face personal ruin...We really need to rethink how we govern and how regulate."

SOURCE: http://www.businessinsider.com/neil-barofsky-2012-8

I have my fingers crossed for Ms. Jewell.

[mucifer]

7. Here's a nice quote from a Forbes interview from 2007:

You began your career as an engineer for Mobil Oil. Now you run one of the most environmentally conscious businesses in the United States. What did you learn at Mobil that you use in your current job?

I would say I just really have a good fundamental knowledge of what happens when you drill for oil. What happens when oil gets in a creek? How do you deal with that? What are the environmental challenges? What's the water quality in the community? These are all things that, when you see them on the ground, you recognize that there is a cost to consumption.

It looks like after she graduated she worked for a few years at exxon/mobil and decided it wasn't for her and now is the CEO for REI which is a co-op (I'm not sure how a co-op has a CEO) . But, anyway, I'm sure she got a huge pay cut.

[bluestate10]

8. She is deep into environmental preservation and made that choice well before

public office came calling. She is the real deal, IMO. She is an exceptional choice.

[Octafish]

9. Thank you, bluestate10!

Now I know which half of the knee-jerk rightfully defines my reaction - the jerk.

I hope Ms. Jewell gets to apply her talents toward protecting and strengthening our natural resources for ALL Americans.

PS: I pushed for RFK Jr. for Interior and EPA way back when, before the first term transition team was announced. Heck, before e-selection 2004.

http://betterment.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x739924#740215