Trump conservation pick triggers question of favoritism or connections
This article is from Dec 2018, but Aurelia Skipwith has not been confirmed yet. She was nominated a 2nd time because the previous Secretary of Interior Zinke resigned. Sec of Interior is now Bernhardt.
Secretary Zinke Applauds President Trump's Nomination of Aurelia Skipwith to be Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
10/23/2018
Secretary Bernhardt Applauds Nomination of Aurelia Skipwith to be Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
7/17/2019
The previous director of US Fish and Wildlife Greg Sheehan resigned, supposedly to spend more time with family after serving 1 year, but I found the following statement: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke had sought to make Sheehan acting director of the 9,000-employee wildlife service, which would have given him certain legal authorities. However, Sheehan was barred from that role because he did not have the science degree required for the position under federal law, Shire said.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/19/aurelia-skipwith-fish-wildlife-agency-donald-trump
The White House’s nominee to head a top US conservation agency lacks her predecessors’ experience while her political connections raise potential conflicts of interest, a Guardian analysis has found.
Aurelia Skipwith, who started her career at the agrochemical giant Monsanto, has been nominated to lead the interior department’s Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees endangered species and wildlife refuges.
Most former directors spent many years working at the agency or in similar state agencies before ascending to the top post. But Skipwith’s record shows no background in conservation before she joined the Trump administration less than two years ago as deputy assistant secretary of fish, wildlife and parks.
Skipwith holds degrees in biology, molecular genetics and law and has worked in crop science and corporate affairs. In law school, she worked with two consulting firms which were founded or co-founded by her fiance, a politically well-connected Montanan who runs in the same circles as the outgoing interior secretary, Ryan Zinke.
Skipwith joined Monsanto, which has come under criticism for its cancer-causing weedkiller, in 2006 after earning her master’s, according to her résumé. She was a lab technician and then molecular analyst.
(The Boone and Crockett Club endorsed the nomination of Aurelia Skipwith as the new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director. )
