State Department senior official Jen Gavito has joined The Cohen Group as a Senior Advisor

“Jen is a seasoned diplomat and a deeply respected national security expert, with significant subject matter expertise in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe,” said former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen, Chairman of The Cohen Group. 

Jen recently concluded a distinguished 26-year career in the Foreign Service, which culminated in her nomination by President Biden to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Libya. When the Senate recessed this month without acting on more than 30 ambassadorial nominations including hers, Jen decided to retire from the Foreign Service. She has held leadership roles in Washington and at U.S. embassies in multiple regions of the world and at the National Security Council. Most recently, Jen served as Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, providing strategic and management oversight to thousands of U.S. government personnel located at 22 diplomatic posts in 18 countries. She also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq, Iran, and Public Diplomacy. 

Her previous assignments include Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in London from 2018–2021, U.S. Consul in Munich from 2015–2018, and Political Counselor at U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem from 2012–2015. Previously, she served as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Director for Strategy, Plans, and Programs at the U.S. Africa Command from 2011–2012. The majority of her early career assignments were focused working in and on the Middle East: Deputy Principal Officer of the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai; Director for Syria and Lebanon on the staff of the National Security Council at the White House; Deputy Director of the Maghreb Affairs Office in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; Libya Desk Officer; and as head of the Economic/Commercial section at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

Jen received her BA in Economics and International Studies in 1997 from American University and joined the State Department in 1998. 

Jen joins a firm whose distinguished group of senior leaders at The Cohen Group provide strategic guidance and assistance to the firm's clients.  Those leaders include:

  • General Joseph Ralston, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;
  • Ambassador Marc Grossman, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and a Career Ambassador;
  • General Jim Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, former Commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Joint Forces Command, and former Supreme Allied Commander Transformation;
  • General Paul Kern, former Commander of the Army Materiel Command and former Senior Advisor for Army Research, Development, and Acquisition;
  • Ambassador Arun Singh, former Indian Ambassador to the United States, France, and Israel;
  • Air Chief Marshall Sir Angus Houston, former Chief of the Australian Defense Forces and former Chief of the Australian Air Force;
  • Ambassador Jeff Davidow, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela, and Zambia and a Career Ambassador;
  • Ambassador Mike McKinley, former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, former U.S. Ambassador to Brazil, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Peru and a Career Ambassador;
  • General Mike Scaparrotti, former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and Commander of U.S. European Command, and former Commander of U.S. Forces Korea UNC, CFC;
  • General Tim Radford, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and UK Ministry of Defence Head of Overseas Operations;
  • Lieutenant General Harry Raduege, former Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and former Manager of the National Communications System;
  • Lieutenant General David Bassett, former Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency and former Army Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, and Communications-Tactical and Ground Combat Systems;
  • Lieutenant General Edward Cardon, former director of the U.S. Army of Business Transformation and former Head of the Army Cyber Command;
  • Lieutenant General Charles Hooper, former Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, former U.S. Defense Attaché to China, and former Director of Strategy, Plans, and Programs at U.S. Africa Command;
  • Major General Kim Crider, former Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for the United States Space Force and former Chief Data Officer for the United States Air Force;
  • Ellen Embrey, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness; 
  • Dave Rank, former Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing; and
  • Pete Verga, former Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.

Formed in 2001, The Cohen Group is comprised of more than 80 professionals with many decades of combined experience working in top-level positions in Congress, the White House, the State Department, the Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the intelligence community, and other federal agencies and in European and Asian governments, international organizations, and the private sector.

With offices in Washington, London, Beijing, Tianjin, New Delhi, and Brisbane, The Cohen Group provides its private business clients the insights needed to better understand and shape the business, political, legal, regulatory, and media environments in which they operate. This includes both developing strategic business plans to help clients achieve their objectives and actively participating with clients in the execution of those plans.

The Cohen Group also has a strong strategic partnership with DLA Piper, a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.