Creative Associates International has hired Laurence Grayer, a top strategic counsel and executive with government contracting expertise, as vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer.
Grayer will oversee Creative’s legal affairs and corporate compliance and provide support to local counsel in the more than 30 countries across Central America, Africa and Asia, where Creative operates, the company said.
“Creative Associates International is a fantastic company with a profound and admirable dedication to its mission for over 40 years,” Grayer said. “I look forward to playing a significant role as part of the senior management team and contributing to Creative’s continuing success.”
Grayer has more than 20 years of legal experience advising senior executives on corporate governance and compliance, commercial and government contracts, labor and employment law and crisis management. He recently served as general counsel for Veterans Moving Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to serving veterans with physical or mental challenges, and before that, worked as general counsel for the DynCorp International, where he developed risk management and mitigation policies supporting projects on diplomacy, education, post-conflict resolution and more in 33 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and other regions.
Grayer’s global experience with government service providers will be an asset to Creative’s worldwide operations, including its 40 projects focused on education, economic growth and transitions from conflict to peace around the world, according to CEO and President Leland Kruvant.
“As Creative Associates International prides itself on identifying and hiring talented individuals who can best serve our clients, having someone of Larry’s caliber and experience is essential,” Kruvant said.
Grayer has been recognized for his legal work, being named as one of the Top 40 Washington D.C. Corporate Counsels by the DCA publication Trending 40 in 2016, and was part of a team selected as finalists in the categories of Outstanding Chief Legal Officer and Outstanding Law Department by Washington Metro Area Corporate Counsel Association.
Gray has also committed himself to community work, serving on the President’s Committee on Employment for People with Disabilities from 1999 to 2000 and founded the Amalgamated Transit Union’s International Disaster Relief Fund, which has supported victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina.
Grayer received his law degree from St. John’s University School of Law and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the George Washington University.