James Costos
James Costos (born 1963) is an American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra from 2013 to 2017. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate on August 1, 2013. Outside of his diplomatic work, Costos served as a former executive for HBO, and is the current president of film production company Secuoya Studios. He has also been appointed as a member of the board of directors for the Spanish pharmaceutical company Grifols in October 2020, and the American LGBTQ advocacy group, Human Rights Campaign, in October 2021. Early life and education Costos was born in 1963 and grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts. He is a second-generation Greek-American, whose father served as a U.S. Marine and was stationed at Camp David during the Truman administration. He is the first in his family to graduate college. He earned a degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 1985. Career Ambassador Costos was a corporate leader and executive in the international retail and international entertainment industries, most notably at HBO and Tod's. He is an active supporter of humanitarian organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Santa Monica