Donald Henry Gips (born February 1, 1960) is the CEO of the
Skoll Foundation
The Skoll Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. The foundation makes grants and investments intended to reduce global poverty. Jeffrey Skoll created the foundation in 1999.
The total assets of the foundation (includi ...
. He is a former U.S. Ambassador to the
Republic of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
from 2009 to 2013. Ambassador Gips was appointed by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
on June 4 and confirmed by the Senate on July 7, 2009. He presented his credentials to South African President
Jacob Zuma
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-aparth ...
on October 1, 2009. He served until January 2, 2013.
In February 2019, Gips was announced as the incoming CEO of the
Skoll Foundation
The Skoll Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California. The foundation makes grants and investments intended to reduce global poverty. Jeffrey Skoll created the foundation in 1999.
The total assets of the foundation (includi ...
, taking over for the retired
Sally Osberg. He began as CEO on April 9, 2019, at the annual
Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship.
Previously he was a principal at
Albright Stonebridge Group
Dentons Global Advisors ASG, formerly Albright Stonebridge Group, is a global business strategy firm based in Washington, D.C., United States. It was created in 2009 through the merger of international consulting firms The Albright Group, founde ...
, a global strategic advisory firm.
He also leads the firm's Africa practice.
Previously he was the Divisional Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development for
Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications was an American multinational telecommunications and Internet service provider company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. It ultimately became a part of CenturyLink (now Lumen Technologies), where Level 3 President ...
and Director of
Mindspeed Technologies
Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures, develops, and sells fabless semiconductors for communications applications in wireless and wired networks.
Products Wireless
Mindspeed’s products are used in wireless infrastructure and smal ...
. He was also on the advisory board for President Barack Obama's
presidential transition team
In the United States, a presidential transition is the process during which the president-elect of the United States prepares to take over the administration of the federal government of the United States from the incumbent President of the Un ...
.
In the late 1990s Gips served as Vice President
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
's Chief Domestic Policy Advisor.
Previously, he was the chief of the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
's international bureau.
He is married to Elizabeth Berry and has three children: Sam, Peter and Ben.
Gips is a graduate of
Princeton Day School
Princeton Day School is a private coeducational day school located in Princeton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The largest division is the Upper School (grades 9–12), ...
,
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
, and the
Yale School of Management
The Yale School of Management (also known as Yale SOM) is the graduate business school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. The school awards the Master of Business Administration (MBA), MBA for Executives ...
.
References
External links
U.S. Department of State BiographyDonald Henry Gips - People - Department History - Office of the HistorianDonald Henry Gips (1960–)]
1960 births
Living people
Harvard College alumni
Yale School of Management alumni
American political consultants
Ambassadors of the United States to South Africa
Princeton Day School alumni
{{US-diplomat-stub