Kyong “Jim” Nam

Kyong “Jim” Nam currently serves as Director of Strategy for Carbon Negative Solutions. In his role, Jim leads the development, execution, and monitoring of the company’s long-term strategic initiatives to achieve growth, efficiency, and competitive advantage. Prior to joining Carbon Negative Solutions, Jim was Government Affairs Director for PepsiCo, North America. In this role, he was responsible for state relations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, and Wyoming. In 2020 Mr. Nam served as an informal advisor for the Biden-Harris 2020 Working Group. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Mr. Nam was a project manager for Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Federal Government Services practice, where he led operational re-engineering efforts in the U.S. Department of the Navy and at the Inter-American Development Bank. 

From 2009-to 2016, Mr. Nam served in the Obama Administration as a political appointee at the Department of Defense (DoD). While serving as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, he was a member of an interagency group assembled to draft a recovery plan for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In another role, with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Comptroller, he provided strategic direction and execution of a $700 billion annual budget, while serving as a liaison for DoD to the Senate and House Appropriations committees. Mr. Nam concluded his service as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Joint Office of Transformational Innovation at the U.S. Air Force. Jim was responsible for communications, Congressional outreach, and industry innovation. 

Mr. Nam immigrated to the United States as a child, from South Korea, growing up in Portland, Oregon. He received his B.S. in Political Science from the University of Oregon, and received his M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. 

A dedicated community leader, Mr. Nam served on the boards of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) and SOLVE, an environmental non-profit organization. He also enjoys trying new restaurants in his hometown of Portland, Oregon and cheering on his Oregon Ducks.