Jim Byron’s nomination comes a week after Trump dismissed archivist Colleen Shogan from her post.
President Donald Trump said on Feb. 17 that he has named Jim Byron, president and CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation, as a senior adviser at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Trump stated that Byron will work under the guidance of State Secretary Marco Rubio, who also serves as the acting archivist at NARA. Byron will be in charge of NARA management on a day-to-day basis until a full-time archivist is appointed, according to the president.
“Jim has worked with the National Archives for many years, and understands the great responsibility and duty we have to preserve the History of our Great Country,” Trump
stated on social media platform Truth Social.
Byron has led the Richard Nixon Foundation—the nonprofit organization that jointly co-operates the presidential library site in Yorba Linda, California, with NARA—since November 2021 and is also a member of its board of directors.
According to the organization, Byron will take a leave of absence until the Trump administration appoints a full-time archivist. During that time, the foundation’s vice president of marketing and communications will take over as acting CEO.
“The Board congratulates Jim and looks forward to welcoming him back to Yorba Linda when his work is finished. We wish him great success,” the organization’s chairman, Robert O’Brien, said in a
statement.
His nomination followed White House Director of Presidential Personnel Sergio Gor’s
announcement last week that Trump had dismissed archivist Colleen Shogan.
Shogan, who had held the position since 2023, stated on her LinkedIn account that she had not received any explanation for her removal.
Trump first
announced his intention to replace Shogan last month but did not elaborate. Under
federal law, the president has the authority to remove an archivist from office but must provide the Senate with the reasons for the removal.
The law states that the archivist shall be appointed by the president “with the advice and consent of the Senate” and “without regard to political affiliations.” The appointment must be made “solely on the basis of the professional qualifications required to perform the duties and responsibilities of the office of archivist,” it stated.
NARA is a government agency
responsible for preserving documents and materials related to the federal government and providing access to these records for research purposes.
The president also announced on the same day that he had selected Judge Jason Reding Quinones to become the next U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
In his
statement, Trump stated that Quinones is a former federal prosecutor and Justice Department National Security Division official who currently serves as a state trial judge in Miami and a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
Trump also nominated John Jovanovic to serve as chairman and CEO of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Jovanovic previously
served as CEO of Nova Fleet, an investment company focused on energy and critical infrastructure.
“John will utilize his extensive experience in finance, investments, and business building across the Energy, Commodities, and Critical Infrastructure sectors to Make America Energy and Manufacturing DOMINANT Again,” Trump wrote in another
post.
