Gardner Peckham

Mr. Peckham has 25 years of experience in the development and implementation of federal policy on foreign relations, national security and trade issues. His work with the Congress and in the executive branch has given him exceptional opportunities to participate in the inner workings of the U.S. government, politics and international relations. Mr. Peckham joins Prime Policy from its predecessor firm, BKSH & Associates Worldwide.

Mr. Peckham previously served as the senior policy advisor to U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich on foreign policy, defense, intelligence and international trade. In those areas, he was responsible for devising and implementing House legislative, political and communications strategy and tactics. He worked closely with House Leaders and committee chairs, their Senate counterparts and other House Members. He was also the Speaker’s liaison with administration officials, foreign leaders and business executives.

Before joining the Speaker’s staff, Mr. Peckham held several other positions in the House of Representatives. These included: senior counsel to Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, Henry J. Hyde (R-IL); deputy chief of staff and senior staff consultant, Committee on Foreign Affairs; and staff consultant, Subcommittee on Africa, Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In addition to his work on Capitol Hill, Mr. Peckham held two senior positions in the first Bush administration. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs to Secretary James A. Baker III, he actively participated in senior-level administration decision-making on key foreign policy issues. He also served as Secretary Baker’s liaison with the Congress, which involved negotiating with the Leadership and other members and testifying before Congressional committees. Mr. Peckham also served as director of legislative affairs to National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, where he coordinated executive branch activity on national security and foreign policy as it related to Congress, chaired regular interagency meetings and advised General Scowcroft on Congress and the legislative process.

Mr. Peckham received his B.A. in politics and government from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1975 and pursued graduate studies at the American University School of International Service. He completed the Executive Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1983. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the board of directors of Partners for Democratic Change, a leading democracy-building NGO. He was appointed to the National Commission for Review of Research and Development in the United States Intelligence Community and previously served on the National Commission on Terrorism, which reported its findings in June 2000. He also served on the Secretary of Defense/Director of Central Intelligence-appointed Remote Sensing Strategy Panel, which reported its findings in October 2001. He has served on several advisory groups to senior officials in the intelligence community. Mr. Peckham received an award of appreciation from the DCI Counterterrorism Center in August 2005.