Nominee Former Monsanto Executive
President Trump recently nominated Aurelia Skipwith for Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Skipwith currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks in the Department of the Interior. Her team is responsible for ensuring the protection and stewardship of lands and waters within the national park and wildlife refuge systems. Skipwith is a biologist and lawyer who spent more than six years at agriculture giant Monsanto. She joined the Department of Agriculture in 2013. As head of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Skipwith would be responsible for areas like the Trump administration’s policies for importing trophies from elephant hunts, the nation’s more than 560 refuges, and the administration’s efforts to make Endangered Species Act enforcement better for industry. Skipwith is the first African American and third woman to ever be nominated to the position.
Interior Secretary, Boone and Crockett approve nomination
“For the past year and a half while she served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary, I’ve come to know Aurelia Skipwith as a professional, a scientist and passionate conservationist, and I know she will be an incredible Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said. “She has helped lead some of my top priorities for getting more people to enjoy our public lands, like expanding access for hunting and fishing, recognizing National Urban Refuge Day, and designating sites on the African American Civil Rights Network. I look forward to her speedy confirmation.” “This is a critical appointment because our fish and wildlife are critical natural resources to our nation,” said Paul Phillips, co-chairman of the Boone and Crockett Club’s Conservation Policy Committee.”This might be stating the obvious, but the challenges facing our fish and wildlife require a deeper dive than what just lies on the surface. Skipwith has proven she has the knowledge, experience, and energy to not just maintain, but enhance these resources for all Americans.” “During the past 18 months as Deputy Assistant Secretary, I have had the distinction to work with dedicated people of the Service to ensure the implementation of this Administration’s and Secretary Zinke’s policies to protect our species, increase public access, and ensure science is at forefront of our decisions,” Skipwith said. “If confirmed, I look forward to the opportunity to lead the Service in achieving a conservation legacy second only to President Teddy Roosevelt.”—courtesy The Hill; Department of The Interior; Boone and Crockett Club
