State Learns that Embassies Can Be Cheaper by the Dozen.

The article focuses on director and COO of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations at the U.S. State Department, Charles E. Williams. Williams was hand-picked for the job in December 2000 by then Secretary of State designate Colin Powell as the newly elected President George W. Bush administration prepared to enter the White House. He recalls that Powell charged him with what Williams calls an "awesome task," to turn around the existing, slow-moving program and rapidly increase security. Upgrading embassy security around the world became a top State Department priority after the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. INSETS: Embassy Interiors Reflect Countries.;Southern Upbringing, Military Training Influence Williams'....