Donald H. Gips is CEO of the Skoll Foundation.

Ambassador Gips served as the United States Ambassador to South Africa from July 2009 until January 2013. As Ambassador, he managed over 1,000 people from a dozen different government agencies and oversaw an annual budget of over $600 million.  He was recognized for his efforts to promote improved relations with South Africa when the U.S. State Department chose him as the recipient of the 2010 Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service.

Before being asked to be President Obama’s personal representative to South Africa, Ambassador Gips served as Assistant to the President.  He was a leader on the Presidential Transition Team and then served in the White House, where he ran the Office of Presidential Personnel, overseeing the selection of several thousand political appointments for the Obama Administration.  He previously served in the White House during the Clinton administration, working as Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Al Gore.

From 1998-2008, Ambassador Gips was Group Vice President of Global Corporate Development for Level 3 Communications, where he served as Chief Strategy Officer and led the company’s merger and acquisition efforts. He also served as Chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission where he was responsible for WTO negotiations and spectrum policy.

Ambassador Gips is dedicated to promoting a culture of service and helped launch America’s national service program, Americorps. Before entering government, he was a Management Consultant to Fortune 500 companies at McKinsey & Company.

Ambassador Gips also serves as the Chair of the U.S.-South Africa Business Council.  In addition, he is a Senior Advisor at Blackstone, and an outside Director on the boards of Zayo, Black Rhino, Nextnav and Omnispace. 

Ambassador Gips received an MBA from the Yale School of Management where he was honored as a Donaldson Fellow, and an undergraduate degree from Harvard University where he was presented with the Ames Award and the Paul Revere Frothingham Prize.

He is based in Washington, D.C.