J.C. Watts to head Feed The Children

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Former Oklahoma congressman J.C. Watts has been named the new president and chief executive officer of Oklahoma-based charity Feed The Children.

Watts, who in the 1990s became the first black Republican congressman from the South since Reconstruction, now runs a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. He says he’ll remain chairman of that company when he starts his new role Feb. 1 at Feed The Children.

The charity said in a news release that Watts has a strong background in business and politics, plus he has traveled extensively to impoverished countries, making him an ideal candidate for the job.

Feed The Children works to end childhood hunger both domestically and abroad. The organization says it distributed $344 million in food, essentials, educational supplies and medicine in 2014.