Board work that’s hard work — not ceremonial.

The honor and alchemy of boards

We believe boards stand as both guardians and alchemists, blending strategy, governance, and vision into a cohesive force. Board service is an honor that comes with immense responsibility: to navigate complex landscapes, inspire boldness, and uphold trust. The best board members take this to heart – by doing the hard work – and not just squeezing board calls into their busy schedules.

Board Experience

Start-ups

Entrepreneurs and investors alike have tapped Dave for board roles in companies establishing product-market fit and finding their path to growth. Whether in a Board Chair or an Independent Director seat, CEOs recognize Dave as a colleague who is quick to roll-up the sleeves to help accelerate the team building, go-to-market, partnership, and capital raising work that’s critical at this stage. And when the time comes to consider or create a strategic exit, Dave’s experience leading many merger and acquisition processes has proven to be invaluable.

Public companies

Later in Dave’s career he relished the challenge of scaling up to succeed in the board environment of NASDAQ listed companies, once as Board Chair in a newly public company and another as Independent Director in an activist-threatened turnaround. High functioning boards in mid-market companies like these must be eager to press into the real work that takes place in board committees. Here, Dave has trial-by-fire experience with Audit, Governance, and Compensation during times of high stress in each of these areas. In each case, these companies maximized shareholder value through a process that led to the sale to a strategic partner.

Special Situations

Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and this has proven to be true in several instances of board service that required the development of new areas of expertise and new ways of thinking:

  • One case, as a board director in a joint-venture between two public companies, required empowering the CEO to lead while juggling the sometimes competing priorities of the JV partners.

  • In another situation, Dave spearheaded the establishment of a subsidiary and European HQ in Dublin, and he went on to serve as a board director there for years to come.

  • Dave has also enjoyed serving on the boards of several early stage non-profits, helping high-vision founders build successful mission-driven companies despite limited resources.

  • “A great board chair builds chemistry so the best ideas, and not just the loudest voices, are heard. Dave is the rare leader who can pull that off with a room of Type A personalities."

    Taryn Naidu - CEO

  • “The independent director in an early stage company is a linchpin between investors and company insiders. Dave played that complex role perfectly for both sides.”

    Sam Decker - CEO

  • “Having a board chair with Dave’s operating experience was a huge benefit. And when I needed an M&A expert in a challenging sale process, he was already on our team.”

    Will King - CEO