McKean, David, 1956-

David McKean (born 1956) is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg from 2016 to 2017. He was confirmed to the position in 2016 and sworn in on March 14, 2016. He left the position on January 20, 2017.

A Massachusetts native, McKean was born in Beverly and raised in South Hamilton. He is a graduate of Harvard College, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Duke University School of Law. Before his ambassadorship, McKean held the position of Director of Policy Planning at the United States Department of State under John Kerry from 2013 to 2016.

Before joining the Department of State, McKean was a public policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2011 and 2012. He previously worked as CEO of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Staff Director for the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (2009–2010), and Chief of Staff to Senator John Kerry (1999–2008). McKean also served as Minority Staff Director of the United States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (1997–1998), Deputy Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Campaign Finance Investigation (1997), and Special Counsel to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (1995–1997). Prior to that, he served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II (1994–1995) and Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator John Kerry (1987–1992). McKean taught at the Waterford Kamhlaba in Eswatini (1981–1982). Since 2006, he has served as a Board Member for the National Archives Foundation.

McKean has authored four books on American political history: Suspected of Independence, Friends in High Places with Douglas Frantz, Tommy the Cork, and The Great Decision with Cliff Sloan. In 2012, he received the Distinguished Honor Award from the Department of State.

McKean and his wife, Kathleen, have three children.