Ray Mabus Raymond Edwin " Ray " Mabus , Jr . ( born October 11 , 1948 ) is the 75th and current United States Secretary of the Navy . Mabus served as the 59th Governor of the U . S . state of Mississippi from 1988 to 1992 and as United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1994 to 1996 . Early life . Mabus was born in Starkville and is a fourth - generation Mississippian ; he grew up in Ackerman , the only child of the owner of the local hardware store . After attending public schools , he graduated " summa cum laude " from the University of Mississippi , where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi , with a B . A . in English and political science . He earned an Master of Arts in political science from Johns Hopkins University and a Juris Doctor , " magna cum laude " , from Harvard Law School . He also served two years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer from 1970 to 1972 aboard the cruiser , and worked as a law clerk in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Political career . Mabus began his professional career working in Washington as legal counsel to the U . S . House Agriculture Committee . Following the election of Governor William Winter , he returned to Mississippi to work in the governor ' s office , where the youthful staff – which included Mabus , Dick Molpus , John Henegan and Andy Mullins – earned the nickname " Boys of Spring " from a rival state legislator . Mississippi State Auditor . In 1983 , Mabus was elected state auditor and served from 1984 to 1988 , during which time he participated in a large FBI sting operation which recovered millions in misspent or stolen public funds . By the time it was finished , " Operation Pretense " ensnared 57 county supervisors in 25 counties , and all but two supervisors served time in prison . Governor of Mississippi . In 1987 , he defeated Tupelo businessman Jack Reed in the gubernatorial election by 53 % to 47 % , becoming the youngest governor in the nation at the time . Mabus , who ran on the slogan " Mississippi Will Never Be Last Again , " was billed as " the face of the New South , " much like his counterpart in Arkansas at the time , Bill Clinton . Mabus was featured in a 1988 " New York Times Magazine " cover story titled " The Yuppies of Mississippi ; How They Took Over the Statehouse " which chronicled his challenges and successes . During his time as governor , he passed B . E . S . T . ( Better Education for Success Tomorrow ) , gave teachers the largest pay raise in the nation ; and was named one of " Fortune Magazine " ’ s ten " education governors " . Mississippi also had record growth in new jobs , investment , tourism and exports . Because of the gubernatorial succession amendment ratified in 1987 , Mabus was eligible to become the first governor to serve two successive terms in more than 100 years , and he ran for reelection in 1991 . He was narrowly defeated in the general election by Republican Kirk Fordice . Ambassador to Saudi Arabia . Mabus was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and served from 1994 to 1996 . During his tenure , a 1994 border crisis involving Yemen was defused , a 1994 crisis with Iraq was deterred , he presided over the embassy during the 1995 terrorist attack , child abduction cases were addressed , and contracts worth more than $ 16 billion were signed between Saudi Arabian and American companies such as Boeing , and AT & T . Mabus ' residence and embassy office in Riyadh were decorated with items of interest from his home state including an Ackerman phone book on his office coffee table and the Mississippi flag next to the American flag . Secretary of the Navy . On March 27 , 2009 , Mabus was nominated by President Obama as Secretary of the Department of the Navy . He was sworn in on May 19 , 2009 , and held a ceremonial swearing in at Washington Navy Yard on June 18 , 2009 where he was re - sworn in by the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates . In April 2010 a furor arose when it was reported that Mabus made the controversial proposal to name a United States Navy warship the USS John P . Murtha ( LPD - 26 ) after the late Pennsylvania Democratic congressman , John Murtha . Additional naming controversies occurred due to the naming of auxiliary ship after Cesar Chavez , and a corvette / littoral combat ship after former Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords following her suffering life - threatening wounds in a mass shooting incident in her home district in Tucson . On April 16 , the Navy Secretary returned to Naval tradition of naming certain warships after former U . S . Presidents , announcing the next Zumwalt - class destroyer be named the USS Lyndon B . Johnson , after the nation ' s 36th President . Even this action represented somewhat of a change to previous norms , since with the exception of the current attack submarine , USS Jimmy Carter ( SSN - 23 ) and the since decommissioned USS George Washington ( SSBN - 598 ) class of Polaris / Poseidon fleet ballistic missile submarines , all recent U . S . warships named for presidents have been aircraft carriers . Secretary Mabus has a presence on Facebook and frequently comments about his daily activities . This is the first case of a branch secretary maintaining a web presence . President Obama has asked him to develop a long - term Gulf Coast Restoration Plan as soon as possible . The plan will be designed by states , local communities , Native American tribes , fishermen , businesses , conservationists and other Gulf residents " . Business ventures . In August 2007 , he joined the board of Enersys , the world ' s largest manufacturer , marketer and distributor of industrial batteries . From 2006 - April 2007 , he was Chairman and CEO of Foamex International and helped lead it out of bankruptcy . Less than nine months after his appointment , Foamex emerged from Chapter 11 . Awards , honors , community service . Mabus has been awarded the U . S . Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award , the U . S . Army ’ s Distinguished Civilian Service Award , the Martin Luther King Social Responsibility Award from the King Center in Atlanta , the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award , the King Abdul Aziz Award from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , and the Mississippi Association of Educators ’ Friend of Education Award . He is active in many community activities , primarily focusing on education . Following Hurricane Katrina , he founded the " Help and Hope Foundation " , which works to meet the needs of children affected by the storm . He is a former member of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations , and is the Distinguished Lecturer on the Middle East at the University of Mississippi . As a photographer , his photographs have raised tens of thousands of dollars for various Mississippi charities . He has appeared on many television programs as an expert on the Middle East , including " 60 Minutes " and " Nightline " . In 2009 , Mabus made a cameo appearance on the US drama " NCIS " as an NCIS Agent named " Ray " . Personal life . Mabus has two daughters , Elisabeth and Annie , with his first wife . In 1998 , Mabus secretly tape recorded conversations he had with his then - wife Julie and a priest in attempts to resolve marital difficulties . The conversations provided a basis for Mabus to obtain sole legal custody of the children from that marriage . Julie ( now Hines ) filed suit against the reverend , his church , and the diocese . The case was the focus of media attention for issues raised relating to privacy rights in the context of churches . Mabus ' s actions in the incident were legal and he was not named in the suit .