Kam Quarles is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Potato Council. He assumed this role in May of 2019 after serving as Vice President of Public Policy and Communications.

Since taking on the job of running the U.S. potato industry’s national trade association, Kam has overseen a comprehensive overhaul of the organization and its activities. These include building a strong team of professional staff and consultants, rebranding the organization and its signature Potato Expo, coordinating the largest disaster relief response in the industry’s history, securing significant victories in the long-standing Mexican trade dispute, and supporting a new multimillion-dollar foundation dedicated to industry leadership.

As a national leader in the fruit and vegetable industry, Kam serves as co-chairman of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, and as a member of the USDA/USTR Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee.

Prior to joining the Council staff, Kam worked for the international law firm of McDermott Will & Emery with clients including NPC, the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, Sunkist Growers, Chiquita Brands International, the California Avocado Commission and other specialty crop interests.

He served as a vice president for both the United Fresh Produce Association and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and the managing director of the D.C. office for Sunkist Growers, the world’s largest citrus marketing organization. Kam was also a staff member in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Kam holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University in Virginia.

He and his wife Karen live on Capitol Hill. Their daughter Cate is a freshman in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.