Professional Background: Business
David is active across the areas of public company and private company board service, venture capital and real estate development. His educational background is in Mechanical Engineering (Univ of Pittsburgh) and Business Administration (HBS). He entered the world of venture capital via running a corporate venture fund and currently is a co-founder and general partner in BTN Ventures, a fund that focuses on Black and diverse founders. David’s public company boards, which include Coherent, First National Bank, and Koppers Inc., have come via his network as opposed to executive board search engagements. His private company board service includes serving as Lead Director for one of the country’s 100 largest privately held companies, Board Chair for Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and board director for numerous early stage technology companies for his venture fund. He and his wife, Darlene also co-founded the African American Directors Forum in 2017.
Interview Quotes:
“Understand the delicate balance between listening and speaking up.”
“Need to understand where you want to make a difference. Board refreshment is important.”