MU student will serve as Nixon transition adviser
MU junior Rick Puig, who is president of the Young Democrats of Missouri, was chosen to serve as a citizen transition adviser for Gov.-elect Jay Nixon.
Puig was one of 100 Missourians chosen to serve as advisers, who will assist Nixon's in choosing potential recruits for the new administration.
Puig said the advisers are "basically the front line" of the new administration's recruiting efforts. He also said he is the youngest adviser on the board by at least 20 years.
Puig has been president of YDM for over a year, and previously served as a spokesman for the MU College Democrats. During this year's presidential primaries, he was chosen as a delgate for Barack Obama, and was alos the youngest acting member of the Democratic National Convention Rules Committee.
According to a news release from Nixon's transition office, the Gov.-elect is seeking "the most qualified, most diverse applicant pool possible."
“A new spirit of public service is sweeping across Missouri and the nation,” Nixon said in the release. “By appointing these Citizen Transition Advisers, we hope to discover great new public servants right in our own neighborhoods. Together, we will find the best team to overcome the challenges Missouri faces and move our state forward.”
Nineteen advisers were selected from the mid-Missouri area. Karen Edison, the chair of the MU School of Medicine's dermatology department, and Bruce Wilson, a Democratic activist, were also chosen.