Jodey Cook Arrington (born March 9, 1972) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for . The district includes a large slice of West Texas, centered around Lubbock and Abilene. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Arrington was a member of George W. Bush's gubernatorial and presidential administrations. He was named appointments manager for Governor Bush in 1996. In 2000, he was appointed Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel. In December 2001, Donald E. Powell, the 18th chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, hired Arrington as the agency's chief of staff.
Arrington later served as deputy federal coordinator for the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding. In 2006, he left the coastal rebuilding office to return to his alma mater, Texas Tech University, as its system chief of staff and later as vice chancellor for research and commercialization. Until his election to Congress, Arrington was the president of Scott Laboratories in Lubbock.
Early life and education
Arrington, the son of Gene and Betty Arrington, was reared in Plainview. His father played basketball at Texas Tech, having lettered in 1958, 1959, and 1960 under coach Polk Robison. In high school, Arrington was a multi-sport athlete and a state-ranked tennis player.
After graduating from Plainview High School, Arrington attended Texas Tech, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta men's fraternity. He also walked on to the football team under Spike Dykes. He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science but remained at Texas Tech to pursue a Master of Public Administration degree, which he completed in 1997. In 2004, he earned a Certificate of International Business Management from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
White House
After Bush's election as president in 2000, Arrington joined the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel, where he served under Clay Johnson III. For the next year, Arrington briefed and made recommendations to the President, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Chief of Staff Andy Card. During his time in the Office of Presidential Personnel, he managed an executive search team that helped the office fill more than 5,000 executive-level, board, and commission positions. He specialized in appointments relating to energy, the environment, and natural resources.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
In late December 2001, at age 28, Arrington became one of the youngest chiefs of staff in the history of the FDIC, where he served under the 18th chair, Donald E. Powell. As Powell's chief of staff, he managed and oversaw the offices of the Chairman, Policy Development, and Public Affairs, all of which he reorganized to increase efficiency. In 2002, Arrington began chairing the FDIC Board Appeals Committee and served in Powell's place on the Audit Committee.
Gulf Coast rebuilding
In 2005, in the wake of FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina, President Bush established by executive order the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding. Bush appointed Don Powell as Federal Coordinator, who, in turn, appointed Arrington as Deputy Federal Coordinator and Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Arrington worked with the governors of the affected states, as well as military officials, local authorities and charitable organizations. Powell and Arrington were responsible for developing and executing the federal government's recovery efforts, as well as coordinating with local, state and federal officials. By the end of Arrington's first year in the Gulf Coast, he had aided Powell in the procurement and implementation of much of the $120 billion spent on infrastructure and assistance relief.
Texas Tech
After a year in the Gulf Coast position, Arrington returned to Texas Tech to serve as its system chief of staff. The Tech System includes Texas Tech University, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and Angelo State University. He also served as the primary liaison to the vice chancellors throughout the system.
In 2011, Arrington was named Vice Chancellor for Research and Commercialization at Texas Tech University System. During his seven-year tenure with the Texas Tech University System, Arrington chaired the Task Force for Enrollment Growth and was the chief architect of "Leading the Way", the strategic plan for the universities within the TTU System.