WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the addition of one United States Army veteran and three United States Navy veterans to the Interior Department. The four veterans join Zinke's Chief of Staff, several senior appointees, and more than 11,000 veterans who are career civil servants at the Department. The new hires include: U.S. Navy SEAL Captain Mike Argo as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in the Secretary's office; U.S. Navy SEAL Captain Rick May as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary managing and expanding the Department's recreation portfolio; Navy Master-at-Arms Zack Gambill as an Advisor at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and, U.S. Army Sergeant William "Billy" Dove as a Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. In one of their first official acts, Captains May and Argo joined Secretary Zinke in the November 8th Reading of the Names at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, an event in which more than a thousand Americans read the name of every service member whose name is enshrined on The Wall.
"Veterans bring incredible strengths to any organization including strong leadership, organizational skills, work ethic, and love of country," said Secretary Ryan Zinke. "Rick, Mike, Zack and Billy will join more than 11,000 veterans already serving at Interior and will help lead important initiatives for outdoor recreation, veteran engagement, and the day to day operations of the Department."
Michael Argo is a decorated retired U.S. Navy SEAL Captain who served for three decades to include fighting in combat during Operation Just Cause in Panama to serving up to Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq. He served as Commander and Commanding Officer for four separate commands, worked three Joint commands, and deployed on numerous deployment around the world. More recently, Argo serve as a strategist and planner at the Office of Naval Intelligence in with the Kennedy Irregular Warfare Center and a short stent with the Department of Homeland Security at the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. Argo played college football at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he earned a B.A. degree in Education. He also has as MS in Geography.
U.S. Navy SEAL Captain Rick May recently joined the Department of the Interior as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Interior. He will oversee recreational activities on public lands, with the aim of creating access and opportunities. May is a decorated veteran who served in the Iraq War. Since his departure from active duty in 2010, he has worked with wounded Veterans in various types of recreational activities, helping them to reintegrate back into mainstream America. May is a graduate of Sonoma State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and he also holds a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management.
Zack Gambill recently joined the Department of Interior as an Advisor in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Prior to joining the Interior Department, Gambill served in the United States Navy as a Master at Arms, serving with 6th Fleet HQ, and Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, Cuba doing Detainee Operations. Afterwards he served then-Congressman Zinke as the Director of Veteran Affairs. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Carroll College in his home town of Helena, Montana, in International Relations.
William "Billy" Dove recently joined the Department of the Interior as a Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Land and Minerals Management. Dove is an Army National Guard Sergeant who recently returned home from deployment in the Middle East with the 29th Infantry Division. Prior to joining Interior, Mr. Dove served as a legislative aide in then-Congressman Ryan Zinke's office. Dove is a native Montanan whose family has a background in law enforcement and ranching. He is a graduate of Montana State University in Bozeman.
Source: Department of Interior
