Wally Adeyemo


Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo is a Nigerian-born American attorney and political advisor serving as the first president of the Obama Foundation. During the Obama Administration, Adeyemo served as the first Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics from 2015 to 2016 and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council.

Early life and education

Adeyemo was born in Nigeria and raised in Los Angeles County, California. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley and Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

Career

Adeyemo served as the Director of African American Outreach for the John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign and was based in the San Francisco office.
Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Adeyemo worked as an editor at the Hamilton Project. Adeyemo then served as senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to Jack Lew in the United States Department of the Treasury. Adeyemo later worked as the chief negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He also served as the first chief of staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Elizabeth Warren. He selected to concurrently serve as Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics and deputy director of the National Economic Council in 2015, serving until 2016. On August 1, 2019, it was announced that Adeyemo would serve as the first president of the Obama Foundation.