Spencer Cohen is principal and founder of High Peak Strategy LLC, an international trade and economics research consulting firm based in Seattle, Washington. He consults and writes extensively on international trade, China’s economy, industry clusters, and regional economic analysis. Dr. Cohen works with a wide range of clients and stakeholders, including port terminal operators, industry and trade associations, law firms, local governments, and business chambers. He has 14 years’ experience in consulting, policy, and economic research. Prior to forming High Peak Strategy LLC, he served as senior economist with a Seattle-based economics consulting firm. He has also held policy and research roles with the State of Washington, where he frequently worked with inbound delegations from China.
Dr. Cohen has a Ph.D. in economic geography from the University of Washington. His dissertation examined China’s economic growth model through the lens of land use rights, local government finance, and local state enterprise debt restructuring. He holds an M.A. in China studies, also from the University of Washington, and B.A. in mathematics and history (double major) from the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Cohen is a frequent public speaker on issues relating to U.S.-China relations, international trade, China’s economy, and regional economic recovery. He has written opinion pieces in the South China Morning Post, The Daily Guardian (India), Puget Sound Business Journal, and Seattle Business Magazine. He is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and an affiliate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington.