Mr. Adam R. Telle

Mr. Adam R. Telle

Chair, Board of Commissioners
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Adam R. Telle is the 14th Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), sworn in on August 5, 2025 following his nomination by President Donald J. Trump and confirmation by the United States Senate. He was the second Trump Army appointee to be confirmed.

As the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), he has principal authority to establish policy direction and to provide supervision of all aspects of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works program for the Department of the Army. These responsibilities include commercial navigation, flood and storm damage reduction, and permitting of activities under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.

Previously, Assistant Secretary Telle served as the Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee. Prior, Mr. Telle was President Trump’s chief liaison to the Senate when he led the White House Office of Legislative Affairs’ Senate team. In this role, Mr. Telle was also a key player in the White House’s national security apparatus helping deliver historic achievements including the Abraham Accords and the authorization of the U.S. Space Force, the first Armed Service established since the 1940s.

Mr. Telle was also the chief staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee charged with managing the budget of the Department of Homeland Security. Before that, Mr. Telle spent 10 years in the office of Senator Thad Cochran, where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Legislative Director, and the top national security staffer. He spearheaded the Senator’s work on Hurricane Katrina recovery, water resources authorization and appropriations, and flood insurance.

He is a patriotic native of rural Northport, Alabama and holds degrees in computer science and communication from Mississippi State University where he was elected student body president. He is married, with two children, and spends his free time enjoying the Gulf of America.