Rex Tillerson For Secretary of State

An unofficial announcement was made on Saturday, that President-elect Trump has picked Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State.

This pick is a very interesting one. There are many things to know about Mr. Tillerson. While he is a political outsider, he brings with him a lot of experience dealing with foreign governments.

Rex Tillerson has a great deal of experience with foreign governments.

Since the unofficial announcement, some critics point to the fact that Rex Tillerson does not have government diplomatic experience. However, Mr. Tillerson does have experience dealing with foreign governments. According to their website, Exxon Mobil does business in most of the countries in the world and explores for oil on six continents. Rex Tillerson is not an average executive. According to his bio, his degree is in civil engineering from University of Texas at Austin.  He started with Exxon Company, U.S.A. in 1975 as a production engineer.

Fourteen years after starting with Exxon, he was named general manager of Exxon Company U.S.A.’s central production division. His career took off from there. By 1995, he became president of Exxon Yemen Inc. and Esso Exploration and Production Khorat Inc. Three years later, he became the president of Exxon Neftegas Limited and vice president of Exxon Ventures (CIS) Inc.  These positions gave him more experience in foreign relations.  He became responsible for Exxon’s holdings in Russia and the Caspian Sea as well as the Sakhalin I consortium operations offshore Sakhalin Island, Russia.  His accomplishments all culminated to the position he has today, as chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil.  He certainly is accomplished. In addition, he has sat on different industry related boards, as well participating in certain public service organizations.

Rex Tillerson has taken an active role in his industry and in public service organizations.

According to his bio, Mr. Tillerson is a member of the executive committee of the American Petroleum Institute. He is also a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.  Mr. Tillerson is also a trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  He is an active member of the National Petroleum Council, as well as a member of the Business Roundtable. He is also an honorary trustee of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) According to their website, the Business Council for International Understanding promotes relationships between business and government leaders worldwide. In addition to his professional experience, his participation with BCIU gives Mr. Tillerson valuable international experience.  In addition to the numerous industry related organizations, Mr. Tillerson has been involved in public service, non-profit organizations.

Mr. Tillerson is the current vice-chairman of the Ford’s Theater Society.  According to their website, the Ford’s Theater Society “celebrates the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln and explores the American experience through theatre and education.” In the past, he served as the national president of the Boy Scouts of America. He also was the director of the United Negro College Fund.

Some skeptics are concerned about his relationship with Vladimir Putin.  However, this relationship could prove to be beneficial. In order to become a more prosperous nation, we need to heal broken relationships. He can help navigate diplomatic relations with Putin and help us have a better understanding of what makes him tick.

President-elect Trump promised to drain the swamp. Getting political outsiders is a great way to push forward in that agenda. Many people have complained in the past, that the government was filled with lawyers and traditional business people and lacked scientists.  Mr. Tillerson is a scientist and a businessperson with foreign affairs experience.  He truly is a great pick.

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