Zinke tapped as Northern graduation speaker

The first Montanan presidential cabinet member will address Montana State University-Northern's class of 2017 at its graduation next month.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke will be the commencement speaker at Northern's May 6 graduation.

"For me, the message he is going to carry regarding the merits involved with being a leader will be as good as any commencement speaker we've ever had," Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel said Friday.

He said Zinke agreed in March to give the commencement address soon after he was confirmed as Secretary of the Interior, an idea they talked about when Zinke was still in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kegel said Zinke, a personal friend, sent him a text message Thursday night confirming he has reserved time in his schedule for the graduation.

A native of Whitefish, Zinke is a retired Navy SEAL whose service included tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

After his retirement, Zinke served as a Republican in the Montana Senate from 2009-2012. He was elected to Montana's only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014 and re-elected last fall.

In December, then-President-elect Donald Trump picked Zinke to lead the Interior Department, the agency that oversees natural resource development and management of federal lands as well as relations with federally recognized Indian tribes.

Zinke holds a Bachelor of Science in geology from the University of Oregon, a Master of Business Administration from National University and a Master of Science in global leadership from the University of San Diego.

Kegel said that as chair of the Education and Cultural Resources Committee in the Montana Senate, Zinke helped rally support for Northern's long-awaited Automotive Diesel Center now under construction..

He added that Zinke has taken part twice in the Northern Legends for Lights Pheasant Hunt and Jamboree, an annual fundraiser to raise money for scholarships for student athletes.