David Lapan serves as Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary for Benefits and the Principal Deputy Undersecretary for Benefits, developing and overseeing enterprise-level public relations and executive and strategic communication. Mr. Lapan provides guidance and direction regarding strategic internal and external communication, marketing, brand management, social media and community presence.
He is a retired Marine with more than 30 years of military service and 20 years of Communication/Public Affairs experience at the highest levels of the Department of Defense. He served as a Pentagon spokesman and advisor for several Secretaries of Defense, the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, and for multinational forces in Haiti and Iraq. Mr. Lapan is an avid sports fan and has three children and four grandchildren.