Sunnylands names new president of Annenberg Foundation Trust

Ambassador David J. Lane, a senior diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies in Rome, has been named President of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, the Board of Trustees announced Thursday.

He succeeds Geoffrey Cowan, who served for six years as the inaugural president of Sunnylands.

“Ambassador Lane is a dynamic and innovative leader who has unparalleled experience working across sectors,” the trustees said in a statement. “We were particularly impressed with his distinguished public service, experience as a builder of successful organizations, the breadth of his vision, and his passion for the mission of Sunnylands. He will build on the extraordinary progress achieved over the past six years and lead Sunnylands’ ongoing efforts to make a tangible impact on important issues facing our nation and world.”

Raised in Florida, Ambassador Lane holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master of public affairs from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He will maintain offices in both California and Washington, D.C.

From 2001 – 2007, Ambassador Lane led public policy and advocacy efforts at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, building a powerful East Coast presence for the Seattle-based philanthropic foundation.

“Sunnylands seems to me, especially at this time when our system so desperately needs a reset, to have the potential to bring people together across ideological boundaries,” said Ambassador David Lane. “It is an honor to carry forward this vision of the Annenbergs to foster collaboration at the highest levels.”