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Robert Lapsley joined the California Chamber as vice president of public affairs in April 2007. Lapsley is responsible for CalChamber public affairs activities, including its Advocacy Council, a political advisory committee made up of major members; its candidate recruitment and support program; and its political action committees CalChamberPAC, which supports pro-jobs candidates, and CalChamberBusPAC, which qualifies, supports and/or opposes ballot initiatives. He also serves as the CalChamber executive director of JobsPAC, a broad, employer-based, bipartisan committee that supports pro-jobs candidates. Lapsley has more than 20 years of experience in public affairs and business, most recently serving as president of RCL Consultants, a firm specializing in business, regulatory, political and public affairs consulting. He also has served as vice president of Arnel Development, where he was responsible for new business projects. As a presidential appointee, Lapsley served as special assistant to U.S. Ambassador to Spain, George Argyros. While with the U.S. State Department and in addition to his diplomatic duties, Lapsley coordinated strategies with private sector firms and the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Spanish-American and European Union business arenas. He also was a long-time policy and political aide to former Secretary of State Bill Jones, serving as Undersecretary of State from 1995 to 1998 and from 1999-2001 and managing both of Jones’s successful campaigns for that constitutional office. Lapsley is a graduate fellow of the Coro Foundation and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He holds a B.S. in biology and political science from Illinois State University. | 