McMillan Considered for SecNav

President George W. Bush announced May 7 his intention to nominate Colin R. McMillan, who is in the oil, banking, and cattle businesses, to be the next Secretary of the Navy, according to a White House press release. The official nomination was still pending as of mid-May. McMillan was an assistant secretary of defense in the administration of President George H. W. Bush in 1990.

A petroleum geophysicist, McMillan currently is chairman and chief executive officer of the Permian Exploration Corporation and affiliated companies; chairman of First Federal Bank, a regional bank with offices in El Paso, Texas, and six locations in New Mexico; and a managing member of Three Rivers Cattle Ltd. Co., a cattle-ranching operation.

Following graduation from the University of North Carolina in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in geology, McMillan served on active duty in the Marine Corps from 1957 to 1960 and then in the Marine Corps Reserve until 1972, when he was discharged as a major.

From 1971 to 1982, McMillan was a member of the New Mexico legislature, which included a four-year stint as minority whip and a four-year term on the Taxation and Revenue Committee.

From1987 to 1990, he served as secretary of the New Mexico State Board of Finance. In March 1990, McMillan was appointed by President George H. W. Bush as assistant secretary of defense (production and logistics) under then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney. In that post he played a lead role in the implementation of management reforms, particularly in the area of warehouse and inventory management, according to a Navy spokesman. He also had direct civilian oversight of the Defense Logistics Agency and the Defense Commissary Agency.

In 1994, McMillan ran as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate from New Mexico. From 1994 to 2001, he served as Pecos River Commissioner for the state of New Mexico. In July 2001, McMillan was appointed by President Bush to serve as chairman of the Board of Sallie Mae Inc. He currently serves on the board of directors of the New Mexico Boys and Girls Ranch and is a past board member of the University of New Mexico Foundation.

McMillan is a pilot and holds the airline transport pilot, commercial, and multi-engine ratings. He has logged more than 7,000 flight hours as a pilot in command.

McMillan is married to Kay Anderson Ruth McMillan. They have four children and seven grandchildren. The McMillans reside in Roswell, N.M. *