David J. Lane (ambassador)

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David J. Lane (born around 1960) is an American diplomat and nonprofit leader. He grew up in Indialantic, Florida, and graduated from Melbourne High School in 1978. He earned a BA from the University of Virginia and an MPA from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.

Lane held several government and philanthropy roles. During the 1990s, he worked in the Clinton administration, including as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Commerce and as Executive Director of the National Economic Council. In 2001, he joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, focusing on public policy, advocacy, and global health. He later became president and CEO of the ONE Campaign after its predecessor DATA merged with ONE. He also served as vice-chair of the board of Transparency International USA and was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

In early 2011, Lane joined the Obama White House as Assistant to the President and Counselor to the Chief of Staff.

President Barack Obama nominated him in 2012 to be United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, based in Rome. He served from July 19, 2012, to August 9, 2016, coordinating six U.S. agencies and supporting the Feed the Future initiative.

After leaving the ambassador post, Lane became president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands in September 2016, which operates the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California. He is also chairman of The Stimson Center.