Honorable Lauri J. Fitz-Pegado, Partner

Fitz-Pedago_Lauri

Career Summary

  • Partner, The Livingston Group L.L.C.
  • Assistant Secretary and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • Iridium LLC, Vice President for Global Gateway Management & Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications
  • Gray and Company/Hill and Knowlton
  • Career Foreign Service Officer

Education

  • Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Master of Arts, Economics and Latin American Studies
  • Vassar College, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Lauri Fitz-Pegado is a Partner at The Livingston Group.  Appointed by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Fitz-Pegado served in the Department of Commerce, under the late Secretary Ronald H. Brown and Secretaries Mickey Kantor and William Daley, as the Assistant Secretary and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service.  In this role, she promoted U.S. exports and helped U.S. companies to expand market share and compete for contracts around the world; managed 130 export promotion offices overseas and 90 offices in the United States; and organized and led numerous trade and investment missions to countries throughout the world.

Ms. Fitz-Pegado served on the Obama for President campaign’s foreign policy experts teams for Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa.  She was Director for Public Liaison of the first Clinton-Gore inauguration and advisor on international issues to Democratic National Committee Chairman Ronald H. Brown.

In 1997 she joined Iridium L.L.C., the world's first global satellite and paging company, where she was Vice President for Global Gateway Management and Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications.  A former foreign service officer who served in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, Ms. Fitz-Pegado also provided domestic and international clients strategic communications counsel, public relations, and government relations services at Gray and Company and Hill and Knowlton.
 
Ms. Fitz-Pegado is Board Chair Emeritus of the National Education Association Foundation.  She is on the board of CHF International, the advisory boards of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, the United Negro College Fund’s International Institute for Public Policy, the Jones-Haywood Dance School, is a corporate ambassador for Vital Voices, and is a senior advisor and mentor to professionals in the University of Denver/Aspen Institute’s International Career Advancement Program (ICAP).  She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Washington Government Relations Group.  Ms. Fitz-Pegado is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, cum laude graduate of Vassar College and has a master of arts degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Economics and Latin American Studies. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Significant Boards, Associations, Activities & Accomplishments

  • Obama for President campaign, foreign policy experts team member for Latin American and the Caribbean and Africa
  • Presidential Appointment (Clinton) and Senate Confirmation, Assistant Secretary and Director General, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, Department of Commerce
  • Managed 130 export promotion offices overseas, 90 offices in the United States, organized and led scores of trade and investment missions to countries throughout the world.
  • Advisor on international issues to Democratic National Committee Chairman Ronald H. Brown
  • Board Chair, National Education Association Foundation
  • Member, Ron Brown Scholar Program Advisory Board
  • Senior advisor and mentor, University of Denver’s International Career Advancement Program (ICAP)
  • Member, United Negro College Fund’s International Institute for Public Policy Advisory Board
  • Corporate Ambassador, Vital Voices
  • Member, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Member, Washington Government Relations Group
  • Speaks Spanish and Portuguese