House staffer, Monsanto vet named to top Interior posts

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke appointed a House staffer and a former official at Monsanto to two top agency positions on Thursday. Zinke named Aurelia Skipwith deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks; and Katharine MacGregor deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management. Skipwith, a biologist and lawyer, spent six and a half years at agriculture giant Monsanto before joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2013. MacGregor is a House of Representatives veteran, working for former Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.), former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) before joining the staff of an Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee in 2011. Skipwith will work on public lands and wildlife issues, and MacGregor will focus on energy development and public land use, according to the Interior Department...more