Alethea Gordon
Associate Vice President
Ms. Alethea Gordon brings to The Cohen Group over 20 years of public and private sector experience in foreign policy, defense, and international business, with a focus on Indo-Pacific security affairs.
Prior to joining The Cohen Group, Ms. Gordon served as Director for Global Affairs at General Motors, where she led international government affairs advocacy on global policy issues. She engaged with US government agencies, foreign officials and in multilateral fora to advance the company’s interests on the international stage.
Ms. Gordon’s public service includes over a decade at the Department of Defense, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (OUSD/Policy). As the inaugural Director for US-China Defense Relations, she advanced strategic approaches to risk reduction, crisis communication and crisis management. Her roles encompassed Force Posture Policy Advisor (Middle East and Africa); Country Director for China, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan; and Chief of Staff to OUSD/Policy’s inaugural Chief Operating Officer.
Prior to her DoD tenure, Ms. Gordon served for over a decade at the Department of State in various roles, including as lead for long-term strategic planning, intelligence analyst, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs; and Senior Advisor for Democracy Promotion. She began her State Department career as a Presidential Management Fellow.
Ms. Gordon’s exceptional service has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service; Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence; and Superior and Meritorious Honor awards from the Department of State.
Ms. Gordon holds a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College, a Master of Public Policy in International Relations from Princeton University, a Master of Public Health in International Health Management from Emory University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and African/African American Studies from the University of Michigan.