Matt Cohen joined USAID’s Foreign Service in 2009 and currently serves as the Deputy General Counsel. Before assuming this position, he served four years as a Resident Legal Officer in Peru, supporting USAID missions in Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. Prior to Peru, Mr. Cohen served four years as a Resident Legal Officer in Kenya, supporting USAID missions in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Before joining USAID, Mr. Cohen worked as a litigator and transactional Associate in the Environmental Law Department at Richards, Watson, and Gershon in Los Angeles, California. He also served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Oruro, Bolivia, working at the Universidad Técnica de Oruro to implement agroforestry and soil conservation extension programs with rural farmers.

Mr. Cohen received a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis and a Master of Science in Forestry from Michigan Technological University. He also has a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology from the University of California, Davis. Mr. Cohen is a member of the California State Bar.