David Patterson Lambert

David Patterson Lambert, 75, of Washington, DC died of a heart incident in his sleep early on the morning of October 16th, 2015 while attending the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 22nd, 1939, the third son of Beverly and Rose Lambert, and raised in Holly Grove, Arkansas, David had a distinguished career in public service. He was an internationally recognized advocate for global food and nutrition security, lecturing and traveling widely on these issues. As the principal of Lambert Associates, a Washington-based public affairs consulting firm providing strategic policy advice, he focused on global food security and child nutrition and was strongly committed to working on behalf of those vital causes. In 1999, President Clinton appointed and the U.S. Senate confirmed David as permanent alternate representative and Foreign Agricultural Service Counselor to the U.S. Mission to the U.N. agencies. A regular member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N.'s Codex Food Safety Commission in Rome and Geneva, David represented the U.S in numerous international forums, including the World Food Summit, and he served on Ambassador George McGovern's humanitarian missions throughout Asia and Africa. Prior to his diplomatic appointment, David was Senior Vice President of the New York Stock Exchange, directing all public affairs programs, both U.S. and international, with responsibility for the executive branch and the diplomatic corps in Washington. He was principal negotiator for and a delegate to the NYSE's historic U.S.-China Symposium on Financial Markets in Beijing and met privately with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. Earlier in his career he served as legislative assistant to U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, chairman of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, with responsibilities on a variety of policy issues, including agriculture, trade, and tax matters. ,David served on numerous advisory boards, including the advisory council of the University of Arkansas Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the Clinton School of Public Service. Additionally, he served in advisory roles with the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, Farm Journal Foundation, Center for Global Development, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, Winrock International, Alliance to End Hunger, Auburn University's College of Human Sciences, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Howard University's World Food Law Institute. He was also active in civic and charitable activities furthering the goal of ending hunger. He was a Distinguished Fellow of Iowa State University's Seed Science Center and a lecturer at the Catholic University of America, teaching graduate courses on global food security and hunger issues. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Arkansas and a law degree from The George Washington University. Survivors include his son, Walker Lambert and Walker's wife Eleanore, who David loved like a daughter, of Washington, DC, and son Taylor Lambert of Walnut Creek, Calif.; former wife, Diana Rich of Washington, DC, and brothers Beverly Lambert of Little Rock and Hayden Lambert of Nashville, Tenn. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 25th, at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, 4700 Whitehaven Parkway NW in Washington. DC. In lieu of flowers, donations can be given to Iowa State Seed Science Center towards the establishment of an initiative or scholarship in David's name. Donations can be given online at http://tinyurl.com/oed4qg8 (please select "Area of Greatest Need, and write in Seed Science Center in the notes section) and then indicate David's name in the honorary and memorial gifts section. Alternatively, donations can be mailed to: Iowa State University Foundation, Attn: Sue Jones, 2505 University Boulevard, P.O. Box 2230 Ames, Iowa 50010-2230.