
(White House photo added, 5:40 pm)
FIRST REPORT, 12:34 PM: President Obama‘s nomination today of REI president/CEO Sally Jewell to be the next Secretary of the Interior has a double West Seattle link – she has a residence here (thanks to all the WSB’ers who e-mailed to point that out), and REI was founded here. Here are details on the nomination from our partners at The Seattle Times; if confirmed, Jewell – who also has worked in banking and the oil industry – would succeed Ken Salazar, who had announced he would leave Interior next month. Another prominent West Seattleite, King County Executive Dow Constantine, has issued a congratulatory statement:
President Obama has made a wise decision in looking to our deep pool of talent in the Pacific Northwest, and nominating Sally Jewell as our next Secretary of the Interior.
As the leader of an iconic outdoor recreation business, Sally has worked to preserve our natural lands as a board member for the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and the National Parks Conservation Association.
Her proven business success, and respect for the natural world, give her the background to successfully meet the many challenges of managing our public lands. My congratulations to Sally.
REI has issued a statement, too.
ADDED 9:12 PM: The White House’s video of today’s announcement is now available:
The first person who e-mailed us about the announcement suggested we should pursue an interview; we put in a request with REI, which told us it’s referring all requests to the White House.
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