President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:
R.D. James of Missouri to be an Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works. Mr. James has most recently served as a civilian member and engineer on the Mississippi River Commission, originally appointed in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan, where he provided water resources engineering direction and policy advice to several Administrations, Congress, and the Army for a drainage basin that covers roughly 41 percent of the United States. He is a self-employed farmer and manager of cotton gins and grain elevators in New Madrid, Missouri. Over the past 35 years, Mr. James has developed a wealth of knowledge about our nation’s critical infrastructure. He previously served as president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, he served on the board of directors and executive committee of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, the Cotton Producers of Missouri, the Board of Directors of U.S. Bank of Sikeston, and the board of directors of Osceola Products. Mr. James is the recipient of the prestigious Bronze de Fleury medal for his significant contributions to Army engineering, the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Award, and was formerly named the New Madrid County Outstanding Conservation Farmer. Mr. James received his degree in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky.
Kimberly A. Reed of West Virginia to be First Vice President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States for a term expiring January 20, 2021. Ms. Reed most recently was president of the International Food Information Council Foundation, a non-profit collaborating with governments, the food and agricultural supply chain, and health professionals on issues surrounding the feeding of the global population. She previously served as senior advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretaries John Snow and Henry Paulson, and led the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, where she awarded nearly $4 billion in tax credits, loans, and grants to financial institutions and economic development groups for investing in economically distressed communities. She also was counsel to three Congressional committees in the U.S. House of Representatives: Ways and Means, Government Reform and Oversight, and Education and the Workforce, and vice president for financial markets policy relations at Lehman Brothers. Ms. Reed is recognized as one of the “100 Women Leaders in STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and serves on several boards. She is the first woman chair of the Republican National Lawyers Association. She holds a B.S. in biology and government from West Virginia Wesleyan College and J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law.
David J. Ryder of New Jersey to be Director of the United States Mint. David J. Ryder served as Global Business Development Manager and Managing Director of Currency for Honeywell Authentication Technologies. Previously, Ryder served as CEO of Secure Products Corporation, which was acquired by Honeywell in 2007. In 1991, Ryder was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to serve as Director of the U.S. Mint and served from September 1992 to November 1993. His prior government service also included Deputy Treasurer of the United States, Assistant to the Vice President and Deputy Chief of Staff to Vice President Daniel Quayle. Ryder was born in Billings, Montana and raised in Boise, Idaho, Ryder attended Boise State University and is married with two children.
Leon “Lynn” A. Westmoreland of Georgia to be a Member of the Amtrak Board of Directors for a term of five years. Congressman Lynn A. Westmoreland served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years after serving 12 years in the Georgia House of Representatives. During his time in Congress, he served on the subcommittee on railroads, pipelines, and hazardous materials of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for six years. Congressman Westmoreland also served on the Financial Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Congressman Westmoreland started his own construction business in 1982 and did residential and light commercial construction until his election to Congress in 2004. He currently serves as principal of Westmoreland Strategies LLC, which provides strategic advice to a variety of clients. He and his wife of 48 years, Joan, have three children and seven, soon to be eight, grandchildren.
Mitchell Zais of South Carolina to be Deputy Secretary of Education. Most recently, Mr. Zais served as South Carolina’s elected State Superintendent of Education. During his term in office, the department’s budget was reduced while on-time high school graduation rates increased every year to an all-time high. The number of public charter schools increased 78 percent, the number of public charter school students increased 155 percent, and the number of students taking online courses grew 130 percent. Prior to that, he served 10 years as president of Newberry College in South Carolina. The College was recognized for the first time by U.S. News as one of “America’s Best Colleges.” He served 31 years as an infantry soldier in the U.S. Army. He retired as a Brigadier General. Mr. Zais holds a B.S. in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, an M.A. degree in military history, plus M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in organizational behavior and social psychology from the University of Washington. He served as South Carolina Commissioner of Higher Education and is a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the states’ highest civilian award.
The following individuals to be Members of the Board of Directors of the Export Import Bank:
- Claudia Slacik of New York, for the remainder of a 4-year term expiring January 20, 2019, and an additional 4-year term expiring January 20, 2023.
- Judith Delzoppo Pryor of Ohio, for the remainder of a 4-year term expiring January 20, 2021.
