WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, January 14, 2016/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
EVENT:
Please join us on Tuesday, January 19 at 13:30 (GMT) for a telephonic press conference with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to discuss her upcoming visit to Gabon, Kenya and South Africa beginning January 21. The Secretary will also discuss U.S. leadership in combatting wildlife trafficking both in Africa and throughout the world. Secretary Jewell will be speaking from the Foreign Press Center in Washington D.C. where there will also be a live media audience.
Secretary Jewell next week will travel to Africa on a multi-country visit to meet with government officials, non-governmental organizations and conservation leaders to continue the United States’ work to combat the illegal trade of wildlife products in the U.S. and abroad. African countries are major source countries for ivory, rhino horn and other illegally taken flora and fauna destined predominantly for markets in Asia. Secretary Jewell traveled to China and Vietnam last summer in a similar effort to further work to crack down on these black markets both at home and internationally.
DETAILS:
Speaker: U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell
Date: January 19, 2016
Time: 08:30 EST |13:30 GMT
* Please use Time Zone Converter to determine the start time of the event in your time zone.
Language: English. French and Portuguese interpretation will be offered.
Ground rules: On the record
Dial-in Info: To be provided once you RSVP
RSVP: RSVP to afmediahub@state.gov. Please indicate if you will dial in (specify
English/French/Portuguese line), or request that we dial out to you (provide the phone number and language to be used).
Twitter: We will use #WildlifeTrafficking as the hashtag for the call. Follow us on @AfricaMediaHub.
LOGISTICS:
Callers should dial-in to the conference call 10-15 minutes early.
When an individual journalist dials-in, the operator will collect the caller’s name, press affiliation, and location. When an embassy dials in, the operator will ask the embassy’s name and location.
The moderator will facilitate the Q and A among the connected callers and the journalists in Washington D.C. Journalists on the conference call will be instructed to press the “*” and “1” buttons on their phones in order to enter the question queue. NOTE: You can press “*1” at any time during the call to join the question queue, even before the moderator begins the Q and A portion. We ask that journalists limit themselves to one question and indicate to which speaker the question is directed. Journalists can also submit questions in English to afmediahub@state.gov prior to or during the call.
Following the call, broadcasters may download a digital copy of the video for this and all on-camera Foreign Press Center (FPC) events at www.dvidshub.net/USDOS. To request a physical copy (BETACAM SP, MINI DV or DVD), please contact video@state.gov.
BIO:
Sally Jewell was sworn in as the 51st Secretary of the Interior on April 12, 2013.
In nominating Jewell, President Obama said, “She is an expert on the energy and climate issues that are going to shape our future. She is committed to building our nation-to-nation relationship with Indian Country. She knows the link between conservation and good jobs. She knows that there’s no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress; that in fact, those two things need to go hand in hand.”
As Secretary of the Interior, Jewell leads an agency with more than 70,000 employees. Interior serves as steward for approximately 20 percent of the nation’s lands, including national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public lands; oversees the responsible development of conventional and renewable energy supplies on public lands and waters; is the largest supplier and manager of water in the 17 Western states; and upholds trust responsibilities to the 567 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives.
Prior to her confirmation, Jewell served in the private sector, most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer of Recreation Equipment, Inc. (REI). Jewell joined REI as Chief Operating Officer in 2000 and was named CEO in 2005. During her tenure, REI nearly tripled in business to $2 billion and was consistently ranked one of the 100 best companies to work for by Fortune Magazine.
Before joining to REI, Jewell spent 19 years as a commercial banker, first as an energy and natural resources expert and later working with a diverse array of businesses that drive our nation’s economy. Trained as a petroleum engineer, Jewell started her career with Mobil Oil Corp. in the oil and gas fields of Oklahoma and the exploration and production office in Denver, Colo. where she was exposed to the remarkable diversity of our nation’s oil and gas resources.
An avid outdoorswoman, Jewell finds time to explore her backyard in the Pacific Northwest where she enjoys skiing, kayaking, hiking and other activities. She has scaled Mount Rainier on seven occasions, and recently climbed Vinson Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica.
Jewell has worked to ensure that public lands are accessible and relevant to all people from all backgrounds, and to build a connection between the great outdoors and a new generation of Americans.
Jewell is a graduate of the University of Washington. She and her husband, Warren, have two adult children, Peter and Anne.
