About David.
I am a planner, focusing on variations of cultural planning (arts planning for communities). Each portion of my planning practice informs the other. Citywide cultural planning enriches public art, which enlivens cultural districts, which crosses over to urban planning, and all help grow the creative economy.
My undergraduate degree is in music (I am a failed violinist!) and I have a law degree. I also studied modern dance at the North Carolina School of the Arts. My training in arts consulting began on-the-job, starting with my work at ARTS Inc., the service organization for Los Angeles’ arts community, where I consulted with more than a hundred arts organizations, and then applicants and grantees to the National Endowment for the Arts for six years. I also co-founded and managed a modern dance company In Los Angeles.
I understand (and love) the role of the consultant—to pay close attention to the needs of the client, give useful advice, and not be driven by ego.
University Name
2011-2014
University Name
2007-2010
This is your Education description. Concisely describe your degree and any other highlights of your studies. Make sure to include relevant skills, accomplishments, and milestones gained. Don’t forget to adjust the timeframe in the subtitle.
CREATIVITY
While my music career ended, I had a wonderful career as a modern dancer, touring internationally with several companies. I know first-hand what it means to be a working artist and toured to 48 states by “bus and truck.”
VOLUNTEERING
I am an active Democratic volunteer and have become more active in recent years. In the arts, I am on the board of Side Street Projects, an entirely mobile, off-the-grid, artist-run organization in Pasadena. I’m currently helping Side Street plan a small capital campaign for a permanent new home. I am the past co-chair of the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles, the service organization for dance, and I was also the co-founder of the San Diego Alliance for Arts Education, which accomplished the rare feat of preserving arts education funding in a big city school district during the recession (SDUSD is among the ten largest in the US). I have provided volunteer planning services to the San Diego Youth Symphony, San Diego Civic Youth Ballet and San Diego VAPA Foundation.
WISHFUL THINKING
I love science and the world of inquiry into the surprising nature of reality. I indulge my amateur passion through podcasts and the occasional Scientific American – a fascinating but tough read!
WILDCARD
I am one of those rootless Americans that doesn’t really come from one place—I was raised and lived in different parts of the country. Sometimes I wish I had a stronger cultural identity (or an accent) but I am interested and comfortable in almost any community in the US.