James Lawrence

James’ support for PeaceTrees began when he served as the Director of the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) of the U.S Department of State. PM/WRA is the State Department’s lead office on landmine and cluster munitions policy. They manage a public-private partnership that works with over 60 organizations to facilitate the flow of funding to support landmine clearance and conventional weapons destruction. PeaceTrees was one of the first organizations to collaborate with and receive funding from PM/WRA.

Previously, James headed the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and was involved in every humanitarian relief operation from the Vietnamese boat people in 1979 to the Kurdish outflow from Northern Iraq in 1992. His career included postings in Europe, Morocco, Indonesia, and Africa. He was a Fulbright professor, served with the Peace Corps from 1968 to 1979, and is the recipient of many awards, including seven for meritorious performance. He retired in 2013 and joined the PeaceTrees board in 2023.