Jamie Lawrence
Vice President
Mr. Jamie Lawrence is a Vice President at The Cohen Group. He leads the firm’s Defense Practice and supports clients across the defense industrial base. During his time at the firm, Mr. Lawrence has worked with a wide range of clients in the defense, technology, semiconductor, and health care sectors, advising on business development pursuits, government relations, contracting and federal funding opportunities, Foreign Military Sales, and strategic engagements. In his role as Defense Practice lead, Mr. Lawrence also oversees The Cohen Group’s participation at major domestic and international defense trade shows.
Mr. Lawrence joined The Cohen Group in January 2022 after 20 years of US federal government service at the US Departments of State and Defense, where he specialized in strategic communications, public outreach, and legislative affairs.
Most recently, Mr. Lawrence was Chief for Strategic Outreach at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Department of Defense agency which is tasked with leading the Security Cooperation enterprise of more than 20,000 personnel, and providing policy, legal, financial, legislative, programmatic, and weapons system expertise to stakeholders across the US interagency. In this capacity, Mr. Lawrence oversaw a team of outreach professionals and a portfolio that included internal and external communications, media relations, legislative affairs, trade show management, and protocol. Prior to this role, Mr. Lawrence was the team lead for DSCA’s external communications efforts, developing strategic communications and outreach initiatives targeted at DSCA’s external stakeholders: foreign partners, US industry, academia, and think tanks.
Before joining DSCA, Mr. Lawrence served at the US Department of State for more than 15 years. His assignments included a decade as a Public Affairs Officer in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of Academic Exchange Programs, where he directed outreach activities for the flagship Fulbright Program and other US Government-sponsored academic exchange programs. Mr. Lawrence also served in public affairs and communications positions in the Bureau of Consular Affairs — where he led nationwide efforts to educate federal, state, and local law enforcement and other criminal justice officials on international consular relations treaty obligations — and in the Office of the Secretary of State as a member of the Operations Center staff.
In 2007, Mr. Lawrence participated in the Colin L. Powell Fellowship, a State Department leadership development program. He was also a 2014 Brookings Institution LEGIS Congressional Fellow in the Office of US Senator Brian Schatz, covering issue areas including foreign relations, defense, and international education.
Mr. Lawrence graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in English/Creative Writing. He is the recipient of several Department of State Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards and the DSCA Exceptional Career Civilian Service Award.