Donald H. Gips, born February 1, 1960, was the Divisional Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development for Level 3 Communications. and Director of Mindspeed Technologies, Incorporated. He was also on the advisory board for President Barack Obama's presidential transition team.
In the late 1990s Gips served as the United States Vice President Al Gore's Chief Domestic Policy Advisor. Previously, he was the chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s international bureau.
Ambassador Donald Gips was nominated as Ambassador to South Africa by President Barack Obama on June 4 and confirmed by the Senate on July 7, 2009. He presented his credentials to South African President Jacob Zuma on October 1, 2009.
He is currently resident in Pretoria, South Africa with his wife Liz and their three sons: Sam, Peter and Ben.
Gips is a graduate of Princeton Day School, Harvard College, and the Yale School of Management.