Wally Adeyemo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wally Adeyemo
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Official portrait, 2021
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| 15th United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury | |
| In office March 26, 2021 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Secretary | Janet Yellen |
| Preceded by | Justin Muzinich |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| President of the Obama Foundation | |
| In office August 1, 2019 – March 25, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Valerie Jarrett |
| United States Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics | |
| In office 2015–2016 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Caroline Atkinson |
| Succeeded by | Daleep Singh (2021) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Adewale Adeyemo
May 20, 1981 Ibadan, Nigeria |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | |
Adewale O. "Wally" Adeyemo (born May 20, 1981) is an American lawyer. He served as the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for the United States government under President Joe Biden. Before that, he was the first president of the Obama Foundation. He also worked in the Obama administration as a top advisor on money matters for other countries from 2015 to 2016.
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Early Life and Education
Wally Adeyemo was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. His parents were from the Yoruba group. He grew up in Southern California. His dad was a teacher and his mom was a nurse. He has two younger brothers and sisters.
After finishing Eisenhower High School in Rialto, California, in 1999, he went to college. He earned a degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2004. Later, he got a law degree from Yale Law School in 2009.
Starting His Career
Adeyemo began his career helping with a political campaign in California in 2004. He worked to connect with African American voters.
Before joining the government under President Obama, Adeyemo worked as an editor for a project called the Hamilton Project. He then became a senior advisor and a top assistant to Jack Lew at the United States Department of the Treasury. He also helped negotiate a big trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Wally Adeyemo was also the first chief of staff for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which helps protect people's money.
Important Roles in Government
Working for President Obama (2014–2016)
In 2015, Wally Adeyemo became a top advisor for international money issues. He also helped lead the National Economic Council. In these roles, he represented the President at important meetings with leaders from other countries, like the G7 and G20 meetings. He also held several other important jobs at the Treasury Department.
After Government Service
After working for the government, Adeyemo joined a large investment company called BlackRock in 2017. He worked there for two years as a senior advisor.
On August 1, 2019, he was chosen to be the very first president of the Obama Foundation. This foundation works to inspire and empower people around the world.
In 2025, it was reported that Adeyemo would join Columbia University as a special researcher.
Working for President Biden
Becoming Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
In November 2020, it was announced that Wally Adeyemo would be nominated to be the United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for President Joe Biden. The Senate had to approve his nomination. After a hearing and a vote, the Senate confirmed him on March 25, 2021.
His Time as Deputy Secretary
On March 26, 2021, he officially started his job. As Deputy Secretary, Adeyemo has been very involved in enforcing sanctions. Sanctions are like financial penalties placed on countries or groups. For example, he has worked to make sure that sanctions against Russia are followed because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He has visited other countries to encourage them to cooperate with these efforts.
In June 2024, Adeyemo wrote an article for the Financial Times newspaper. He wrote about the need to slow down Russia's war efforts in Ukraine.
