Yesterday, President Obama announced his nomination of Sally Jewell as the Secretary of the Interior. Jewell is the first woman nominated for an open position on the Cabinet in President Obama’s second term.
Jewell is currently the chief executive officer for Recreational Equipment, Inc (REI) which is devoted to outdoor equipment and apparel. She worked with the Administration on the “America’s Great Outdoors Initiative” and assisted the National Park Service as a commissioner on the “National Parks Second Century Commission.” In 2009, she was the recipient of the Rachel Carson Award for Environment Conservation presented by the Audubon Society. Environmental rights organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Club have endorsed her nomination. Prior to her position at REI, Jewell was a banking executive and spent three years with Mobil Oil immediately after college.
If confirmed, Jewell would be the second woman to hold the position of Secretary of the Interior in the history of the United States. The Department of Interior is charged with protecting the nation’s public lands and managing natural resources on federal lands.
