Lockhart will focus on refining and communicating Oracle's business strategy, the company said in a statement. Prior to joining the White House staff in 1997, where he served as assistant to the president and press secretary, Lockhart also was national press secretary for the Bill Clinton/Al Gore 1996 re-election campaign.
"Joe brings perspective and experience not commonly found in Silicon Valley companies," Ellison said in the statement.
The announcement follows the departures of two high-ranking Oracle executives in recent months, which had raised concerns among industry observers about the stability of the high-flying database vendor's senior management team.
Earlier this month, Oracle's Executive Vice President Gary Bloom, a 14-year veteran of the company, left to become chief executive officer at Veritas Software.
Bloom's departure further depleted the company's top management ranks in the aftermath of the surprise resignation in early July of Ray Lane, the company's president and chief operating officer.