David H. Collins

Artist, Athlete, Brainstormer, Business adviser, Change agent, Christian, Entrepreneur, Idea generator, Inventor, Investor, Life mentor, Musician, Performer, Social entrepreneur, Writer/Editor

A climb up Kilimanjaro in Tanzania gave me a perspective on what I wanted to do with my life – “help people lead more meaningful lives and be of more service to other people”. Winston Churchill noted that people have one core theme that plays through their life – this is mine. Working for JP Morgan/Chase in New York, San Francisco and Chicago helped me realize I didn’t really care about helping companies get ½% interest off on their $1bb loans. What mattered to me was creating impact – breakthroughs that matter. Significant research and work with hundreds of college students led me to help implement ACCESS: Networking in the Public Interest, based at Harvard’s Kennedy School. We created the schools’ first public service initiative - a non-profit job referral network. Our database of 450,000 non-profit orgs. and publication of 1000+ opportunities reached 200 top US colleges monthly. While there, I had the opportunity to participate in Paul Volcker’s Public Service Commission and help other compelling non-profits get started and implement their ideas. In NYC, I became Head of Special Projects for the Council on Economic Priorities and helped launch their flagship book – Shopping For a Better World – which sold 700,000 copies in 3 years. My other projects included running America’s Corporate Conscience Awards Program, launching GreenSeal (environmental standards/labeling), coordinating our initiatives with the Social Venture Network, and initiating Business Roundtables for American Involvement in Russia as the Berlin Wall came down. My passion and calling came to fruition when I founded Obik – a career intelligence company in November of 1993. Together with Obik, and now through i9 intelligence, I have helped over 500,000 people with their careers, organizational changes, and transitions to leading more meaningful/dynamic lives. Presently, I am writing a book on 3 different types of time in the world and preparing to launch a new social entrepreneurial venture based in Philadelphia, PA.

Kindness demonstrated through action; my faith; human intelligence and positive psychology put into practice to change education, combat addiction/depression, and foster changes in people from victim mentality to gratefulness

A Cornell intern asked me what I would do if I had $400MM to spend. I responded with – “help create a social entrepreneurial network for motivated people to foster tangible actions and solutions across the world”. Now, given COVID-19, I think matching people to project teams, mentors, and solution/action networks via colleges etc. like Middlebury College's Center for Creativity, Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (100+ such colleges worldwide) is an idea worth spreading.

Career Intelligence, Finance, Human Development and Growth, Idea Generation, Marketing, Social Entrepreneurship, Social/Environmental Responsibility, Start-ups

Love being a part of the community as a Tedster. Really enjoy helping and supporting people and their missions.

tennis; a cappella singing; painting; piano; bocce; pattern recognition; public speaking; jigsaw puzzles; cooking (tried out for Top Chef Season 6); picking stocks; interior design/curation; innovative ideas.