Lavin joined the Reagan Administration in 1980,starting in the Office of the President-Elect (the transition office),and moved to the White House following the Inauguration. At the end of 1981,he went to the Asia Bureau,then the Africa Bureau of AID,and returned to the White House to serve in the Office of Public Liaison through the 1984 election.
Frank Lavin and President Ronald Reagan
After the Reagan reelection,Lavin joined the National Security Council as Deputy Executive Secretary,responsible for managing presidential activity. Among other assignments,he helped organize the Reagan-Gorbachev Reykjavik Summit. In 1987,Lavin was appointed Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs,responsible for the President’s political activities,the most significant of which was Reagan’s support for then-Vice President Bush’s presidential campaign.
In the George H.W. Bush Administration,Lavin served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific in the Department of Commerce,overseeing US commercial policy and trade negotiations for East Asia (ex-Japan) as well as assisting American companies in the Asian market.[2]
Lavin in 2005
Banking and Consulting Work in Asia
In 1996,Lavin joined Citibank as Vice President of Global Relationship Banking,responsible for the energy/power and chemical/pharmaceutical sectors. In 1999,Lavin moved to Bank of America,where he co-managed its multinational business across ten countries in Southeast Asia/Australia.
Return to Government (2001-2007)
President George Bush nominated Lavin to be the Ambassador of the United States to Singapore on July 18,2001. He was confirmed by voice vote,and he was sworn in on August 13,2001.[3] As ambassador,Lavin helped lead negotiations on the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. After the September 11th attacks,Lavin coordinated counter-terrorism and national security programs with Singapore,which was targeted by terrorist groups.[4]
A 2005 report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State praised Lavin's leadership in this position,calling him "a strong leader with a high degree of intellectual curiosity who wants to be kept well-briefed by all agencies,and yet lets people do their jobs without micromanaging".[5]
In the same year,President Bush nominated Lavin to be Under Secretary for International Trade at the United States Department of Commerce. In his confirmation hearing,Lavin stated that service would be guided by three principles:that US companies could “compete successfully in the international marketplace and [that] there are many export opportunities for US companies,large and small”;that “we must open markets and enforce the rules that govern trade”;and that “to be effective in our mission,we must work closely with Congress.”As Under Secretary,Lavin was responsible for trade negotiations,compliance,market entrance strategies,and US export promotion.[6]
Post-Government Career
After leaving government,Lavin held private sector and academic positions focused on Asia,international business,and U.S. politics. Lavin helped launch Export Now,a company that assisted US consumer brands with e-commerce and market entry strategies for China.[7][8]
Academia and Publications
From 2022 to 2024,Lavin was a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution,where he continued to work on “Inside the Reagan White House”and foreign policy issues.[9]
In 2025,Lavin was the Parikh Family Fellow at the USC Center for the Political Future[10]. He led a weekly seminar,“Statecraft:How Leaders Drive Policies and Policies Drive Outcomes,”and also advised students.[11]
Frank Lavin and his wife Ann (née Wortley) have been married since November 29,1980.[13] They have three children.
Lavin served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy Reserve. In 2023-24,he participated in two humanitarian missions to Ukraine,driving an ambulance to donate to the Health Ministry.[14] He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Selected publications
Lavin is the author of four books:
Lavin,Frank,and Peter Cohan. Export Now:Five Keys to Entering New Markets. New York City,NY:John Wiley &Sons,2011. ISBN9780470828199
Lavin, Frank, and Henry Kissinger. Home Front to Battlefront: An Ohio Teenager in World War II. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2017. ISBN9780821445921
Lavin, Frank. The Smart Buriness Guide to China E-Commerce. Singapore: Penguin Random House SEA, 2021. ISBN9789814954655
Lavin, Frank. Inside the Reagan White House: A Front Row Seat to Presidential Leadership with Lessons for Today. Brentwood, TN: Post Hill Press, 2025. ISBN9798888456941
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