Jeffrey DeWit (born 1972/73) is an American businessman and politician from the state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. A member of the Republican Party, DeWit became the

State Treasurer of Arizona The State Treasurer is the state of Arizona’s chief banker and investment officer. The Treasurer’s Office accounts for and manages the cash flows of state government, directs the state’s banking services, disburses public funds, and manages ...

in 2015, succeeding

Doug Ducey Douglas Anthony Ducey (, né Roscoe Jr.; born April 9, 1964) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 23rd governor of Arizona since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Ducey was previously the CEO of Cold Stone Creamery, a c ...

. DeWit said in 2016 that he did not plan to seek re-election in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

. In 2017, President Trump nominated him to be chief financial officer of NASA. His nomination as chief financial officer of NASA was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2018. He resigned from NASA in February 2020 and joined Trump's 2020 campaign later that year.

Early life and education

DeWit received his degree in Business Administration and Finance from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, and began his career in 1992 at Smith Barney Shearson. In 1999, DeWit started a stock trading company called ECHOtrade, in which he served as CEO for over 14 years.

Political career

In politics, DeWit has served as a Precinct Committeeman, State Committeeman, and was also appointed by the Chairman of the

Arizona Republican Party The Arizona Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. The party currently controls four of Arizona's nine U.S. House seats, both houses of the state legislature, and the governorship ...

to serve on the party's Redistricting Committee. In 2014, he sought the office of

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

for the state of Arizona, a position being vacated by

, who instead ran for Governor of Arizona after serving for one term. DeWit won the Republican primary in August, defeating former Tempe Mayor

Hugh Hallman Hugh Hallman is an American politician who served as the Mayor of Tempe, Arizona for two consecutive terms, from 2004 to 2012, and as councilman from 1998 to 2002. Hallman was a candidate for State Treasurer of Arizona in the Republican primary o ...

and former state party Chairman

Randy Pullen Randy Pullen is a Republican Party activist. He is a former Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party; he served as chairman from 2007 to 2011. He is Chairman of WageWatch, a former Arizona Republican National Committeeman, and former Treasurer ...

by a large margin. DeWit was unopposed in the general election, and was therefore the presumptive Treasurer of the State of Arizona. DeWit also served as the chair of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

's 2016 presidential campaign in Arizona. He said in 2016 that he had no plans to seek reelection at the end of his term as State Treasurer as he disliked the "favor-factory" mentality of established politicians, whose ranks he had no desire to join. DeWit was nominated by President Trump to become Chief Financial Officer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on December 1, 2017. His nomination was returned unconfirmed to the President by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on January 3, 2018, under Standing Rules of the United States Senate, Rule XXXI, paragraph 6. The nomination was resubmitted to the Senate on January 8, 2018. He was confirmed by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

on March 14, 2018. He took office on April 3, 2018. DeWit resigned on February 13, 2020. On June 30, 2020, it was reported that DeWit was named the chief operating officer of the

Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign Incumbent Republican Donald Trump led an unsuccessful campaign for the 2020 United States presidential election. He was inaugurated for his first term on January 20, 2017, and officially announced his reelection campaign on June 18, 2019. Do ...

Personal life

DeWit resides in

Peoria, Arizona Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the state of Arizona. Most of the city is located in Maricopa County, while a portion in the north is in Yavapai County. It is a major suburb of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the popul ...

with his wife, Marina and his three daughters. As a part of his election campaign, his family appeared in a music video parody of '' Frozen''.

Electoral history

References

External links

Official NASA biographyOfficial campaign website
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:DeWit, Jeff 1970s births 21st-century American politicians American chief executives of fashion industry companies American chief operating officers Arizona Republicans Living people Marshall School of Business alumni NASA people People from Peoria, Arizona Trump administration personnel State treasurers of Arizona