James Costos

James Costos
United States Ambassador to Spain
Incumbent
Assumed office August 1, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Alan Solomont
Personal details
Born	1963 (age 51–52) Lowell, Massachusetts
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Michael S. Smith
Alma mater	University of Massachusetts
Profession	Business
Website	U.S. Embassy, Madrid

James Costos (Lowell, Massachusetts, 1963^[1]) is the current United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate on August 1, 2013.

Professional career

Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Costos was Vice President of Global Licensing and Retail for Home Box Office. In this capacity, he was responsible for leading HBO’s newly created global licensing, retail, and marketing division which he established to further expand HBO's domestic and international interests.

Costos began his career as a fashion and retail executive in New York, including as Vice President of Retail Operation for Tod's and Vice President of Retail Operations for Hermès of Paris. He then took on the role of Head of Promotions and Consumer Products at Revolution Studios, a start-up production company. Before joining HBO, he was President and CEO of the entertainment marketing and licensing agency Eight Cylinders, Inc.

In addition to his responsibilities as Vice President for HBO, Costos also serves on the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of the United States, the country’s largest animal protection organization. He is also a passionate supporter of several cultural and humanitarian organizations, including the Santa Monica Museum of Art and the Human Rights Campaign.

Costos earned his bachelor’s degree in Political science from the University of Massachusetts in 1985. He is a resident of Los Angeles, California, where he resides with his partner of 14 years, Michael S. Smith.

He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and Principality of Andorra on August 1, 2013, and sworn in on August 22, 2013.

In October 2013 the Spanish government summoned the American ambassador to address allegations that the National Security Agency had recently collected data on 60 million telephone calls in Spain.^[2]

References

1. Pérez, Bernardo (September 26, 2013). "I’m not tracking anti-Americanism; I’m here to build on the relationship". El País. Retrieved 27 November 2013.

2. Minder, Raphael (October 28, 2013). "Spain Summons American Ambassador on New Reports of N.S.A. Spying". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 November 2013.

3. Rico, Maite (July 2, 2014). "Mr Ambassador and Mr Smith; Obama’s man in Madrid and his partner are bringing a breath of fresh air to US diplomacy in Spain" El País http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/06/30/inenglish/1404129631_938515.html

External links

• U.S. Embassy in Spain