U.S. Navy Secretary to Speak at UW Sept. 28

Ray Mabus, 75th U.S. secretary of the Navy, will present “Energy Innovation, National Security and the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps” Monday, Sept. 28, at noon at the University of Wyoming Energy Innovation Center’s Encana Auditorium.

His talk, part of the School of Energy Resources (SER) Speaker Series, is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.

One of Mabus’ signature initiatives has been directing the Navy and Marine Corps to change the way they use, produce and acquire energy. His directive challenged the Navy and Marine Corps to work on procuring alternative energy sources for at least 50 percent of their energy no later than 2020.

As secretary of the Navy, Mabus is responsible for conducting the affairs of the department, including recruiting, organizing, equipping, training and mobilizing. Additionally, he oversees the construction and repair of naval ships, aircraft and facilities, and formulates and implements policies and programs consistent with national security policies. He is responsible for an annual budget of more than $170 billion and leads nearly 900,000 people.

Mabus was nominated by President Obama as secretary of the Navy March 27, 2009, and was sworn in May 19, 2009.

Mabus has served as the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the governor of Mississippi and as the CEO of a major manufacturing company. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi, a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from Harvard.

For more information about Mabus or the SER Speaker Series, contact Nadia Kaliszewski at (307) 766-4295 or email nkalisze@uwyo.edu.