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The Honorable Ray Mabus Ray Mabus is the
75th United States Secretary of the Navy. As Secretary, he leads America's Navy
and Marine Corps and is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $150
billion and almost 900,000 people. The secretary of the Navy is
responsible for conducting all the affairs of the Department of the Navy,
including recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, and
mobilizing. Additionally, he oversees the construction, outfitting, and repair
of naval ships, equipment and facilities, and is responsible for the formulation
and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the
national security policies and objectives established by the President and the
Secretary of Defense.
Prior to joining the administration of President Barack Obama, Mabus served in a
variety of top posts in government and the private sector. In 1988, Mabus was
elected Governor of Mississippi. As the youngest governor of Mississippi in more
than 100 years at the time of his election, he stressed education and job
creation. He passed B.E.S.T. (Better Education for Success Tomorrow), one of the
most comprehensive education reform programs in America, and was named one of
Fortune Magazine's top ten education governors. He was appointed Ambassador to
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the Clinton Administration in 1994. During his
tenure as Ambassador, a crisis with Iraq was successfully averted and Saudi
Arabia officially abandoned the boycott of United States businesses that trade
with Israel. He also was Chairman and CEO of Foamex, a large manufacturing
company, which he led out of bankruptcy in less than 9 months paying all
creditors in full and saving equity.
Prior to becoming Governor he was elected State Auditor of Mississippi and
served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy aboard the cruiser USS
Little Rock. Secretary Mabus is a native of Ackerman, Miss., and received a
Bachelor?s Degree from the University of Mississippi, a Master?s Degree from
Johns Hopkins University, and a Law Degree from Harvard Law School. He has been
awarded the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award, the
U.S. Army's Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Martin Luther King Social
Responsibility Award from the King Center in Atlanta, the National Wildlife
Federation Conservation Achievement Award, the King Abdul Aziz Award from the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Mississippi Association of Educators' Friend of
Education Award.
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