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Education
  • Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, J.D.,  , 1977
  • University of Minnesota, B.A., 1971

Bar Admissions
  • District of Columbia
  • Virginia


Mark D. Cowan
Partner

International Practice
Public Policy and Lobbying
Federal Marketing
  


  2550 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
T: 202-457-6401  F: 202-457-6315
As a partner at Patton Boggs, Mark Cowan draws on more than 35 years of experience working on complex domestic and international public policy issues to counsel a broad range of clients. He advises corporations, government entities, and foreign sovereigns on a wide array of business, regulatory, and trade issues. Mr. Cowan coordinates and oversees client growth and development for the firm.

Mr.Cowan joined Patton Boggs after a long and successful career in the Washington public affairs and government relations industry. He served as president of Columbus Public Affairs and as chief executive officer of Newmyer Associates, a public affairs and strategic intelligence firm. He was vice chairman of Cassidy & Associates, and a founder and chief executive officer of The Jefferson Group. Earlier, Mr. Cowan served at Gray & Company and Hill & Knowlton Public Relations, counseling numerous domestic and international clients.

Before entering the private sector, Mr. Cowan held presidential appointments in three administrations. During the first Reagan administration, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health until his appointment as Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Secretary of Labor in 1982. Later, President George H.W. Bush appointed him as a Commissioner on the National Commission on Employment Policy. More recently, President George W. Bush appointed him as a Member of the President’s Council on the 21st Century Work Force.

In addition to his presidential appointments, Mr. Cowan has held several other government posts. He was Counsel to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (ethics) of the U.S. House of Representatives. He also served at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an operations officer, serving abroad and as a country desk chief in the agency’s Directorate of Operations, and later held the position of Assistant Legislative Counsel to the Director of Central Intelligence. In the U.S. Air Force, Captain Cowan flew in the back seat of the F-101 fighter interceptor.

Professional Affiliations:
  • Board of Visitors, Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law 
  • Vice-Chairman of the Board, Center on Congress, Indiana University 
  • Chairman, Board of Advisors, Virginia Military Institute’s International Studies Department 
  • Chairman, Republican Eagles, Republican National Committee 
  • National Defense Executive Reserve, Department of Homeland Security 
  • Association of Former Intelligence Officers 
  • Board of Advisors, Ideassociates, Pty, Ltd., Sydney, Australia 
  • Board of Advisors, Diligence, LLC, London, United Kingdom 
  • Board of Directors, Duluth Metals Limited, Toronto, Canada 
  • Board of Directors, University of Minnesota, Alumni Association, Washington D.C. 
  • Board Member, United for D.C., DC United Soccer 
  • Former Member, Committee on the Future of the Workplace, President’s Council on the 21st Century Work Force 
  • Former Lecturer, University of Texas Executive MBA Program 
  • Former Chairman, Board of Directors, America Scores, Nationwide Inner-City Youth Program 
  • Former Senior Advisor, Plainfield Asset Management, Wydown Associates, Greenwich, Connecticut