Namm, Adam E., 1963-

<p>Adam E. Namm (born 1963) was appointed the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS) on December 1, 2016, following a 30-year career in the U.S. diplomatic service, including serving as U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador from 2012 to 2015.</p>

<p>A native of White Plains, New York, Namm graduated from Phillips Academy in 1981, holds an A.B. magna cum laude in International Relations from Brown University, and an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College. He spent his junior year of college studying in Paris, France with IES Abroad. He speaks Spanish and French. Before entering the U.S. Foreign Service, Namm worked as a marketing consultant in the field of fiberoptics.</p>

<p>Namm entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1987 and served tours in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Bogota, Colombia, and Islamabad, Pakistan, as well as in various domestic assignments. As the Director of OBO in Washington, D.C., he managed an annual budget of more than $2 billion and oversaw the opening of 24 U.S. diplomatic facilities.</p>

<p>He was nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador by Barack Obama on September 6, 2011, and confirmed by the Senate on April 26, 2012. He arrived in Quito on May 30, 2012 and concluded his tenure as ambassador on September 30, 2015.</p>

<p>Namm was appointed Executive Secretary of the Organization of American States Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission(known by its Spanish language acronym, CICAD) on December 1, 2016. CICAD is the Western Hemisphere's policy forum for dealing with the drug problem. The CICAD Executive Secretariat supports the Commission by strengthening the human and institutional capabilities and channeling the collective efforts of its member states to reduce the production, trafficking, and use of illegal drugs. The Hemispheric Drug Strategy, approved in May 2010, expresses the firm commitment of OAS member states to deal with the consequences of the drug trade, which pose a growing threat to health, economic development, social cohesion, and the rule of law.</p>

<p>Ambassador Adam Namm was appointed the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS) on December 1, 2016, following a distinguished 30-year career in the U.S. diplomatic service, including serving as U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador from 2012 to 2015.</p>

<p>Immediately prior to joining the OAS, Ambassador Namm was the Director of the U.S. Department of State's Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing and Innovation, a position with a rank equivalent to Assistant Secretary. In this role, Ambassador Namm analyzed and recommended management policy changes, ensured compliance with the statutory mandate that the Department of State rightsize the U.S. Government's overseas diplomatic presence, and led innovative cost-containment and greening efforts.</p>

<p>As U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador, Ambassador Namm worked to strengthen ties between the two countries, which enjoy almost 200 years of diplomatic relations. Highlights of Ambassador Namm's tenure include growth in the bilateral trade relationship to $19 billion annually (the U.S. is Ecuador's number one trading partner), strong cooperation in the fight against narco-trafficking and human trafficking, and an increase in public diplomacy programs, including student exchanges.</p>

<p>Before being posted to Ecuador, Ambassador Namm served as Director of the Department of State's Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations from 2008-2011, a position with a rank equivalent to Assistant Secretary. In this role, he managed a $2-billion annual budget and 1,200 staff engaged in the construction, maintenance, purchasing, and leasing of U.S. diplomatic facilities worldwide. During Ambassador Namm's tenure, the Department of State opened 24 new embassy and consulate facilities.</p>

<p>Ambassador Namm's career with the Department of State also included tours in Islamabad, Bogota, Dhahran, and Santo Domingo, as well as numerous assignments in Washington, DC.</p>

<p>Ambassador Namm holds an A.B. degree in International Relations from Brown University, and a M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College of the United States. As part of his undergraduate studies, Ambassador Namm spent one academic year in Paris, France. Married with two children, Ambassador Namm speaks Spanish and French, plays jazz and blues piano, and enjoys swimming and tennis.</p>

<p>President Barack Obama has turned to an experienced Latin America hand, Adam E. Namm, to serve as the new ambassador to Ecuador, replacing former ambassador Heather Hodges, who in April 2011 was expelled by the Ecuadorian government after the release by WikiLeaks of a diplomatic cable in which Hodges discussed allegedly corrupt police officials appointed to positions of high command by President Rafael Correa, and even speculated that Correa “must have known” about the corruption.</p>

<p>Born circa 1963, Namm is the son of Arnold Namm, the owner of GNP Specialties, and his wife Susan Hammel Namm. He graduated in 1981 from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. Namm earned an A.B. in International Relations from Brown University circa 1985, and an M.S. in National Security Strategy in 2004 from the National War College, where he wrote a paper analyzing the Spanish Civil War in light of the works of military theorists Carl von Clausewitz and Sun Tzu.</p>

<p>Namm began his career at the State Department in 1987. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Namm has served both overseas and stateside. His overseas postings include stints as Management Counselor in Islamabad, Pakistan; Human Resources Officer in Bogota, Colombia; General Services Officer in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and Consular Officer in Bogota and Santo Domingo. His domestic assignments have included Executive Assistant in the Bureau of Administration, Director of the Office of Allowances, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Management, Desk Officer and Post Management Officer in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and two consecutive assignments at the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), including Director of OBO from April 2009 to September 2011.</p>

<p>Namm speaks Spanish and French.</p>

<p>A longtime resident of Arlington, Virginia, in 2006, Namm allowed his name to be used in a New York Times story on rodent extermination; the story detailed Namm’s run-ins with rats, which had pushed up a floorboard in his home and thoroughly frightened a pet hamster.</p>

<p>Namm and his wife, Mei Huang, have one daughter.</p>