Peraton has appointed three new executives to roles in its government and customer relations divisions, as well as the newly founded political action committee.
U.S. Marine Corps. Veteran Scott Cooper has been named vice president of strategic advocacy, former Honeywell executive Joe DeVooght will be vice president of federal congressional affairs and former SAIC manager Elisabeth Drabkin has assumed director responsibilities for Peraton PAC, the company said Wednesday.
“The addition of these world-class leaders in government affairs and advocacy further demonstrates Peraton’s commitment to proactively engage with Congress and other policymakers on issues important to our business, our employees, and our national security,” said Mara Motherway, senior vice president of government and customer relations at Peraton.
The employee-funded PAC is intended to back political figures who align with Peraton’s economic and policy goals. It is the company’s first PAC endeavor and will be informed by Drabkin’s experience managing SAIC’s government affairs and voluntary PAC.
Drabkin has accrued extensive experience in PAC management, compliance, legislative and regulatory matters and team-building. In addition, she participates in the National Association of Business PACs and spent time as co-chair of the Defense PAC PALS.
Prior to coming to Peraton, DeVooght was senior director of government relations at Honeywell. Before that, he worked for over 15 years in the House of Representatives under U.S. Representative Pete Visclosky, holding positions as deputy chief of staff and legislative director. In addition, he was associate staffer for the chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee, during which time he liaised with the Department of Defense and members of the intelligence community.
In his new role, DeVooght will be in charge of Peraton’s legislative strategies and be expected to build on his relationships with members of congress via an expansion of the company’s strategic congressional engagement.
As a marine, Cooper executed five tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan and is a distinguished figure on the topic of national security. He co-authored a book on no-fly zones and is a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Before joining Peraton, his last position was as an agent advising on space and aerospace exploration, national security and technology at the Charles F. Bolden Group.
As vice president of strategic advocacy, Cooper will report to Motherway and oversee development and planning for Peraton’s partnerships with think tanks, research and development centers and advocacy organizations.
“Scott, Joe, and Elisabeth each bring a unique and proven set of skills to the company that will ensure Peraton’s mission impact to national security is well-understood on the Hill,” Motherway concluded.
