Simon E. Coon

Simon Coon is a senior policy advisor in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Coon is a member of the firm's Public Policy & Regulation Group as well as the National Security, Defense and Intelligence Team. He focuses his practice on advising defense contractors on a variety of matters.

Mr. Coon is experienced in congressional appropriations, national security policymaking, empowering nontraditional defense communities, as well as public-private and university partnerships. In addition, he has a significant background in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policymaking, with in-depth knowledge of veteran transition from military to civilian life, veteran education policies and military toxic exposures.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Coon served as a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and was responsible for advising Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) on issues relating to budgetary and policy oversight of VA programs. Concurrently, he served as the military legislative assistant to Sen. Tester, where he advised on U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) policy and appropriations, foreign policy and relevant national security issues.

Mr. Coon's professional experience also involves significant military posts in the U.S. Marine Corps with two deployments to Iraq in Fallujah and Al-Asad, and working as an anti-money laundering compliance specialist for a U.S. banking company. He also served as a legislative intern for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).