R.D. James to Head Corps of Engineers

On January 25, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Rickey Dale “R.D.” James to lead the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the position of Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. James was a self-employed farmer and manager of cotton gins and grain elevators for the A.C. Riley Company in New Madrid, Missouri, and was on the Mississippi River Commission from 1981 to 2012, after being reappointed three times for nine-year terms. James worked at the Kentucky Department of Water Resources engineering office while working on his degree in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky. He serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association and is a board member of the Cotton Producers of Missouri.