K&L Gates Adds Firm's First National Security Policy Advisor

Washington, D.C. – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Marissa Cloutier to its Washington, D.C., office as the firm’s first national security policy advisor.

Cloutier brings nearly 15 years of national security and trade experience from senior roles at the US Department of State, US Department of the Air Force, NASA, and US Department of Commerce. Cloutier’s background includes drafting and successfully implementing the current official US Department of State export control compliance guidelines and risk assessment criteria for aerospace, defense, and technology companies, resolving complex investigations of export control violations by major US and international defense contractors, and building and auditing trade compliance programs of numerous major multinational corporations and research institutions.

“Marissa is a strategic compliance leader with more than a decade of experience managing complex investigations of export violations,” said David Wochner, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C., office. “This new position at the firm is vital to better serve our clients here in D.C. and across the globe. In today’s political climate, Marissa’s knowledge and background is more important than ever before.”

Since 2015, Cloutier served as Chief of the Compliance and Civil Enforcement Division at the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, US Department of State. As Chief, Cloutier supervised all work involving voluntary and directed disclosures, developing and managing consent agreements, to include investigative priorities and penalty calculations, and engaging with the defense industry to ensure compliance with the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Cloutier also advised on CFIUS cases and post-transaction audits, Foreign Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution, and resolving detainments of shipments with US Customs and Border Protection.

Most recently, Cloutier was on a special assignment at the US Department of the Air Force as the Foreign Military Sales Country Director for Latin America. Cloutier advised US and foreign senior military leaders and major defense companies on implementing security assistance and defense trade crucial to the US and allies’ national security objectives.

Prior to joining the US Department of State, Cloutier worked at the NASA Langley Research Center as the Assistant Center Export Administrator, where she was responsible for assessing and ensuring compliance with NASA policies, US export control laws and regulations, and sanctions.

Cloutier also worked at a service-disabled veteran-owned small business, where she supported the direct commercial sale of military electronics, aircraft, and ordnance by authoring export licenses and facilitating shipments. While in college, she interned with the US Commercial Service, US Department of Commerce at the US Embassy in Israel.

Michael Scanlon, a leader of the firm’s global Policy and Regulatory practice, commented: “Marissa has first-hand, in-depth knowledge of US trade regulations acquired through her numerous senior roles at various government agencies. We are delighted to have her join the firm in this new position.”

Cloutier’s arrival follows the addition of several other new lawyers and policy professionals to the Washington, D.C., office in the past year, including national security and international trade partners Nate Bolin and Dave Allman, energy partner Thomas Allen, healthcare counsel Amanda Smith, and the firm’s first senior scientific advisor Peter Coneski.

K&L Gates’ national security and international trade team has deep bench strength in nearly every area of international trade law and regulation, including export control laws, foreign ownership, control or influence mitigation, economic sanctions, various statutory-based trade restrictions including restrictions involving China, Cuba, Iran, Syria, and Russia, the foreign investment review procedures administered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, customs laws, trade remedy laws and trade agreements, and special trade and tariff provisions such as Section 201 and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, and Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.