Lawrence E. Levinson

In 1969, Lawrence joined Paramount Communications, Inc., a Fortune 500 company with primary holdings in motion pictures, television and publishing. He was named a vice president in 1971 and elected a senior vice president in 1979, responsible for government affairs at the national and state levels as well as general corporate policy. Lawrence helped shape Paramount into a major force in the communications and publishing industries. As a member of Paramount's senior management team and board of directors, he was involved in major acquisitions and asset sales and played a leadership role in the company's operations in the Dominican Republic and in Latin America. While at Paramount, Lawrence also served as acting general counsel and was deeply involved in negotiations and settlement issues with the SEC. When Paramount merged into Viacom, he became the corporation's senior Washington counsel representing Paramount before government agencies and Congress.

Lawrence served in the Kennedy Administration as counsel in the offices of the Secretary of the Air Force and Defense at the Pentagon. Early in his career, he served as a US Army judge advocate at the White Sands Missile Test Center in New Mexico.

Lawrence was appointed deputy special counsel to President Johnson in 1965. At the White House, he helped shape and bring to enactment a comprehensive domestic legislative agenda which included the Safe Streets Act, landmark education, pro-consumer and civil rights measures.

During the Carter Administration, Lawrence bridged the gap between public and the private sector, serving on the National Council on Health Planning and Development and as a consultant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.