WASHINGTON, April 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cohen Group announced today that Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Venezuela, and Zambia, has joined the firm as a Senior Counselor effective April 1, 2011.

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The addition of Ambassador Davidow to a team that includes Ambassador Craig Kelly, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to Chile, puts The Cohen Group's Latin America practice at the forefront of strategy and advisory firms, as well as further strengthening the firm's expertise and reach in Africa.

Ambassador Davidow became one of America's most senior and well-respected diplomats over the course of an impressive 34-year career in the Foreign Service, retiring in 2003 with the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest position in the Foreign Service which, by law, can be held by no more than five individuals at one time. 

Since 2003, he has been President of the Institute of the Americas, one of the leading think tanks addressing Latin American-U.S.-Canadian political, economic, business and social issues.  The Institute is particularly well known for its leadership on energy and technology issues.  President Obama recruited him to take a leave from the Institute in 2009 to organize and be presidential advisor for the Summit of the Americas.  

Ambassador Davidow began his career at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala and then served in other embassies in Chile, South Africa and Venezuela as well as in several positions in the State Department in Washington.   He was the first U.S. diplomatic representative in independent Zimbabwe.  In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed him U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, a position he held until 1990, when he became Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa.

In 1993, President Clinton appointed Ambassador Davidow to be U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, a position he held until returning to Washington in 1996 to be Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, the State Department's chief policymaker for the Western Hemisphere.  In 1998, President Clinton appointed Ambassador Davidow to be U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, where he served until 2002. After leaving Mexico in September 2002, he became a Visiting Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.

Ambassador Davidow writings include two books, one on negotiations involving South Africa and the other, The U.S. and Mexico: The Bear and the Porcupine, a bestseller in Mexico and a prominent textbook at American universities.

The Cohen Group is an international business advisory group led by former Secretary of Defense William Cohen.  Founded in 2001, TCG assists U.S. and non-U.S. corporate clients to develop & execute strategies to accelerate organic & inorganic growth around the world, including identifying & pursuing opportunities and overcoming challenges that arise.

Ambassador Davidow joins a deep roster of senior talent at The Cohen Group which includes, among others:

• General Joseph Ralston, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;
• Ambassador Nicholas Burns, who succeeded Ambassador Grossman as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and also served as Ambassador to NATO and Greece;
• Admiral James Loy, who served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard;
• Lord George Robertson, who served as NATO Secretary General and the UK Defense Minister;
• Ambassador Craig Kelly, former U.S. Ambassador to Chile and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs;
• General Paul Kern, who served as the Commander of the Army Materiel Command and the Senior Adviser for Army Research, Development and Acquisition;
• Lt. General Joe Yakovac, who served as Director of the Army Acquisition Corps and Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology;
• Lt. General Harry Raduege, who served as Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and Commander of the Joint Task Force Global Network Operations.

About The Cohen Group:

The Cohen Group is comprised of more than 50 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, other federal agencies, and in European and Asian governments, international organizations and the private sector.

With offices in Washington, London, Beijing, Tianjin, and New Delhi, The Cohen Group provides its clients the insights and intelligence 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 practice groups include Aerospace & Defense; Homeland Security; China; India; Telecommunications and Information Technology; Energy & Resources; Transportation & Logistics; Health Care & Life Sciences; Financial Services & Investment; and Real Estate, serving clients in North America, East Asia, South Asia, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa and Latin America.

The Cohen Group also has a strong strategic partnership with DLA Piper, an international law firm with over 3,500 lawyers and 71 offices in 29 countries throughout the world.

For more information, please visit www.cohengroup.net.

SOURCE The Cohen Group