Frank Lavin served as under secretary for international trade at the US Department of Commerce in the George H. W. Bush 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 US ambassador to Singapore, where he helped negotiate the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.
In the private sector, Lavin served in senior finance and management positions in Hong Kong and Singapore with Edelman, Bank of America, and Citibank.
Lavin also served in the George W. Bush and Reagan administrations, working in the Department of Commerce, Department of State, National Security Council, and White House.