UP AND COMER: U. S. Government Economic Enforcer

Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo

President Barack Obama has tapped Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo, who served in top roles at the Treasury Department, to succeed Caroline Atkinson as his deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs.

Wherever US financial intervention and meddling arises, either domestically or internationally Wally seems to appear on the scene.

 Adeyemo, 34, joined the White House’s National Economic Council as deputy director this fall from the Treasury, where he served most recently as the deputy chief of staff to Secretary Jacob Lew. He was the Treasury’s lead negotiator on the currency agreement that was part of the Pacific trade deal.

Adeyemo also worked on Treasury’s response to crises in Ukraine and Greece and in 2010 was one of the first officials charged with standing up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Lew said that  Adeyemo had “developed a network of international relationships in economic offices around the world to promote U.S. interests effectively.” Former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said  Adeyemo, who joined the administration in 2009, was a “natural diplomat with a great feel for policy.”

The position has served as a springboard to even higher profile international finance posts. Michael Froman, who is currently the U.S. trade representative, held the post under both President. Obama and President Bill Clinton. Federal Reserve governor Lael Brainard, who previously served as a senior Treasury official in the Obama administration, held the post in the Clinton administration.

-RW

(via WSJ)