Our Team

James A. Kelly was the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the George W. Bush administration. He also served as the White House special assistant for national security affairs and senior director for Asian affairs for the National Security Council under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. From 1983 to 1986, Mr. Kelly was at the Pentagon as deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. 

Prior to his appointment as assistant secretary of state in 2001, he was president of Pacific Forum Center for Strategic and International Studies in Honolulu, which was established in 1975 to analyze and lead dialogues on political, security, and economic issues in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Between 1989 and 1994, Mr. Kelly served as president of EAP Associates, which provided international business consulting services with an Asia-Pacific focus to private sector clients.

Mr. Kelly earned an M.B.A. from the Harvard School of Business Administration 1968. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (B.S., 1959) and the National War College (1977). He served in the U.S. Navy from 1959 to 1982, concluding his active duty as a captain in the Supply Corps.