Mark Lippert
Mark Lippert
The Honorable Mark William Lippert currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at Samsung Electronics America, where he oversees the Washington, DC office and operations. He is also an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at HFX (Halifax Forum) and on the Board of Directors at the Korea Society and Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, respectively. Prior to his role at Samsung he served in executive roles at Google 2020-2022 and Boeing 2017-2020.
Before moving to the private sector, Mr. Lippert had a distinguished career in the United States government that spanned approximately two decades and included series of senior-level positions across multiple agencies. From 2014-2017, he served as the United States ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea, based in Seoul. He previously held positions in the Department of Defense, including as chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (2013-2014) and as assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (2012-2013), the top official in the Pentagon for all Asia issues. Lippert also worked in the White House as chief of staff to the National Security Council in 2009.
Lippert served in the uniformed military. An intelligence officer in the United States Navy, he mobilized to active duty from 2009 to 2011 for service with Naval Special Warfare (SEALs) Development Group that included deployments to Afghanistan and other regions. From 2007 to 2008, he deployed as an intelligence officer with Seal Team One to Anbar Province, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Earlier in his career, Lippert served as a staff member in the United States Senate, where he worked on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for then-Senator Obama; the Senate Appropriations Committee State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee for Senator Leahy, and for other members of the Senate. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Basic Parachutist Badge. He is also the recipient of the Department of Defense’s Distinguished Public Service Award and the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University with a B.A. in political science and holds an M.A. in international policy studies from the same institution. He speaks Korean and also studied Mandarin Chinese at Beijing University. He was named an Honorary Ambassador of the Korean Baseball Organization, Honorary Member of the Republic of Korea Navy, and an Honorary Citizen of Daegu, Korea.
Lippert is married to Robyn E. Lippert who serves as a senior executive at UnitedHealth Group and has two children, Sejun and Saehee. They live in Excelsior, Minnesota with their basset hound, Grigsby.
