Areas of Expertise
- Roles & Responsibilities
- Composition & Board Development
- Structure & Culture
- Board-Staff Relations
- Assessments
- Strategic Thinking & Planning
David Styers is an independent consultant based in the greater New York area and has served as a Senior Governance Consultant for BoardSource since 2007. He brings nearly three decades of nonprofit consulting and training experience, as well as an extensive background working at the forefront of civic engagement in volunteer and leadership development.
David provides project management, consulting, and training services on best governance practices, emerging trends and developments in the nonprofit sector, and chief executive assessment and coaching. He is a Rapid Innovation Lab facilitator, Civic Change Leadership trainer, and Youth Leadership trainer. David has expertise in board responsibilities, fundraising, leadership and partnership development, outcomes measurement, strategic planning, and volunteer management. His clients have included local, state, national, and international organizations.
David is currently Director, Learning and Leadership Programs at the League of American Orchestras and the representative for volunteers at the United Nations. Through his work at Ascent Leadership Networks in New York City and the Presidio Trust in San Francisco, he has run fellowship and leadership education programs for corporate, nonprofit, and government leaders. Prior to that, he was director of consulting, education, training services and a consultant for the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership. Through progressively advancing positions at the Points of Light Foundation from 2000 to 2007, David partnered with more than 360 local Volunteer Center affiliates to mobilize people and resources to deliver creative solutions to community problems. He began his career with the American Symphony Orchestra League, where he oversaw training and educational programs for seven years.
As a performer, David sang with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and The Washington Chorus. David is past vice president of programs for the Association for Talent Development Golden Gate Chapter, past secretary of Discovery Community, past treasurer of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), past chair of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration (CCVA), and past president of Volunteer Alexandria. He holds a Specialization in Design Thinking and Innovation from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and has a Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude degree in English from Wake Forest University.
David specializes in:
- Retreat & meeting facilitation
- Executive & board coaching
- Leadership & team development
- Training, workshops & presentations
- Board assessment & development
- Strategic & merger planning