Obama picks second female cabinet member
2013-02-06 18:52
Washington - President Barack Obama will seek to add
another woman to his cabinet on Wednesday by picking business executive Sally
Jewell to head the vast interior department, a White House official said.
Obama has been criticised for naming middle aged white
men to the top jobs in his second term team, but has pledged to promote
diversity in his other picks, and has now settled on several prominent females.
If confirmed by the Senate, Jewell - who heads
Recreational Equipment, an outdoors retail chain - will succeed Ken Salazar at
interior, which manages US national resources, wildlife, tribal issues and
national parks.
"With years of experience managing a nearly $2bn a
year company, she will bring to the position integrity, keen management skills,
as well as dedication to the department's mission of managing our nation's
lands," a White House official said.
"She believes deeply in the American tradition of
preserving our nation's wild places, while also understanding firsthand the
inextricable link between conservation and the economy.
"She also believes we must be good stewards of our
nation's natural resources, underscoring the administration's ongoing priority
of expanding safe and responsible energy production," the official said,
noting that Jewell began her career as an engineer for Mobil Oil Corporation.
Obama had been under pressure to add more diversity to
his new cabinet after picking Chuck Hagel, John Kerry and Jack Lew, to serve as
the secretaries of defence, state and treasury.
In January, Obama nominated high powered New York
prosecutor and organised crime buster Mary Jo White to lead the Securities and
Exchange Commission to implement his Wall Street reforms.
