Sarah Margaret "Sally" Roffey Jewell (born February 21, 1956) is an American businessperson who served as the 51st United States secretary of the interior in the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017.
Jewell was born in London and moved to the United States at age three. She grew up in the State of Washington and attended the University of Washington. After college, Jewell briefly worked as an oil engineer before transitioning to the banking industry. A position on the board of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a Seattle-based retailer of outdoor gear, in 1996, eventually led to her becoming the company's chief operating officer, from 2000 to 2005, and then chief executive officer from 2005 to 2013.
Jewell is a lifelong outdoors enthusiast and while at REI became known for her involvement in conservation and environmental protection. These efforts brought her to the attention of the Obama administration, and she was nominated as Secretary of the Interior to succeed Ken Salazar in 2013. Her nomination received substantial bipartisan support and she was handily confirmed by the Senate in April 2013. Jewell is the second woman to hold the position of Secretary of the Interior, after Gale Norton.
Early life and education
Sarah Margaret Roffey was born in London, England, the daughter of Anne (née Murphy) and Peter Roffey. She moved to the United States at age three in 1959, when her father, an anesthesiologist, took up a fellowship at the University of Washington. Her mother was a nurse practitioner whose specialty was women's health. The Roffey family, including Sally and her three siblings, enjoyed the outdoors, and Sally went sailing and hiking from a young age. A two-week camping trip to teach children ecology inspired her love of the outdoors when she was nine years old. She attended Seattle Country Day School during her elementary years, and in 1973 graduated from Renton High School.
Roffey attended the University of Washington, first planning to become a dental hygienist, then switching to pre-dental at the encouragement of a roommate. After Roffey started dating an engineering student, Warren Jewell, she discovered an aptitude for engineering and switched her major. As an engineering student she worked for General Electric on components for the Alaska Pipeline. In 1978, she received her degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington. Soon after graduation, Roffey married Jewell, and the couple moved to Oklahoma, both having accepted engineering jobs with Mobil.
Career
Early career
Sally Jewell worked for Mobil oil company on oil fields in Oklahoma from 1978 through 1981, when she joined Rainier Bank and returned to the Pacific Northwest. Jewell's background was attractive to Rainier Bank, which was considering gas and oil investments and wanted engineers like Jewell to help evaluate possible assets. Jewell advised against investments in oil and gas, a move which proved beneficial for Rainier Bank. She stayed with Security Pacific after it acquired Rainier Bank, until 1992. Jewell then worked for WestOne Bank from 1992 through 1995, and for Washington Mutual from 1995 through 2000. Altogether she spent nearly 20 years working in the banking industry.
In 1996, Jewell joined the board of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) and in 2000 was named chief operating officer. REI is a retailer of outdoor gear that operates as a member-owned cooperative. In 2005, she succeeded Dennis Madsen as chief executive officer (CEO). Jewell was named the Puget Sound Business Journal CEO of the Year in 2006. By 2012, Jewell noted that the REI co-op had facilitated 3million hours of volunteer work in parks and other natural outdoor spaces and spent three percent of its annual profits on outdoor stewardship. During her tenure at REI, annual sales grew from $600 million in 2005 to more than $2billion in 2015, and the company doubled the number of its retail stores. Jewell remained CEO of REI until she was named Secretary of the Interior in 2013.
Civic involvement and awards
While working in the private sector, Jewell became known for her involvement in conservation and environmental protection efforts. Jewell has sat on the boards of Premera, the National Parks Conservation Association, the University of Washington Board of Regents (2001–2013), and the Retail Industry Leaders Association. She helped found the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and served as a board member and president of the group. She started making campaign contributions in 2008, giving almost "solely to Democratic candidates" according to USA Today.