Fall 2025 Parikh Family Fellow
Frank Lavin served as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Bush (43) Administration. In that capacity, Lavin served as lead trade negotiator for both China and India and was responsible for commercial policy, export promotion, and trade negotiations across the globe. Lavin was previously U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, where he helped negotiate the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.
Lavin is active in U.S.-Asia policy, U.S. domestic politics, and trade policy matters. He serves as a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution as well as a Trustee of the Asia Foundation and as a Director of the Asia Society of Northern California.
In the private sector, Lavin served in senior finance and management positions in Hong Kong and Singapore with Bank of America and Citibank. Lavin also served in the Bush (41) and Reagan Administrations, working in the Department of Commerce, Department of State, National Security Council, and White House. In the Reagan Administration, Lavin served as White House Political Director.
He is a columnist for Forbes.com and has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and elsewhere. Lavin is also the author of Inside the Reagan White House, The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce, co-author of Export Now, and author of Home Front to Battlefront, a World War II history book.
Lavin also is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the Advisory Board of ECIPE, a Brussels-based think tank. Lavin has participated in two humanitarian missions to Ukraine. He formerly served as a Lt Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves.
Lavin earned a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service and an M.S. in Chinese Language and History (both Georgetown University); an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from SAIS (Johns Hopkins University); and an M.B.A. in Finance from Wharton (University of Pennsylvania).
Study Group: “Statecraft: How Leaders Drive Policies and Policies Drive Outcomes”
Statecraft – the decisions governments make – drives socio-economic outcomes. Thus policy choices, communication skills, and consensus-building are key building blocks in the process of government. The Statecraft seminar drew on Lavin’s experiences in government as well as other examples from recent history to illustrate lessons in public policy and government leadership.
Fall 2025 Semester Recap
Frank Lavin said this about his experience at USC’s Center for the Political Future: “The students at USC are hungry, aspirational, disciplined, and are trying to understand the world and their role in it. There is a big conversation going on right now about what direction America should go in, and they need to be a part of that conversation.”
USC students in Frank’s study group shared this about their experience:
“Frank Lavin’s Statecraft Seminar went beyond explaining how to drive policy; it taught us how to exemplify leadership and reminded us to embrace creating impactful change. He used important history and personal experiences to guide lessons on decision-making and the fundamental strategies for success. My favorite part was his session on International Business Strategy, where he taught us vertical versus horizontal skills and how to capitalize on creating impactful change in government and business.
Anthony Vo, International Relations (Global Business)
“My study group with Frank Lavin helped me reinterpret and rethink current issues in different ways. I became more inspired to read the news and engage myself in international politics. I became more confident by getting to speak in a smaller group setting.”
Romil Bhatt, International Relations (Global Business)
“In this study group, I learned so much about trade and foreign relations that I had little exposure to in the past. To learn was a great experience, but to hear firsthand stories from a U.S. Ambassador and former White House aide was amazing. Frank truly made an effort to get to know each and every one of us and made every session engaging and memorable!”
Frank shared his thoughts on the importance of politics, his first political experience, his advice for having respectful political discourse, and what he appreciates about CPF in his “Quick Takes: Q&A with CPF Fellow Frank Lavin” video.