David P. Smith is Executive Vice President in the Pittsburgh office of DHR International, an executive search firm headquartered in Chicago. DHR is the nation’s fifth largest retained search firm, with 120 professionals located in 45 U.S. offices.
Mr. Smith has been a leader in the field of executive search for over 27 years and serves as DHR’s Sector Leader in Economic Development and Planning. Prior to joining DHR, he owned and operated a “boutique” search firm specializing in emerging growth and technology based industries. He has conducted hundreds of successful search engagements for Fortune 500 corporations, start-ups, and emerging growth firms. His select clientele also includes numerous public sector and non-profit economic development entities: foundations, intermediaries, BIDs, university related technology transfer, research parks and incubators, CDCs, government planning agencies, MPOs, development corporations, and workforce development initiatives.
Mr. Smith maintains relationships with numerous professional economic development organizations, e.g., International Economic Development Council (IEDC), International Downtown Association (IDA), Urban Land Institute (ULI), National Association of Regional Councils (NARC), American Planning Association (APA), Association of University Research Parks (AURP), National Association of State Venture Funds (NASVF), State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), and Batelle Technology Partners (Public Technology Management).
Professional presentations include:
- International Downtown Association’s 47th Annual International Conference – “Essentials of Personnel Management;”
- National Association of Regional Council’s 37th Annual Conference – “Understanding Strategic Human Capital Issues;”
- American Association of School Administrators Annual Conference & Exposition – “Recruiting Women and Minorities;”
- International Downtown Association’s 51st Annual International Conference – “The Swirling Maelstrom - BID Leadership.”
- International Economic Development Council 2007 Annual Conference – “Opportunities Abroad for Economic Developers: Internationalizing Your Career.”
- International Economic Development Council 2008 Leadership Summit – “The Total Leader – Managing the Leadership Gap”
- International Economic Development Council 2009 Annual Conference – “Staffing EDO’s in Challenging Times”
Prior to entering the executive search field, Mr. Smith was a career Army officer where he served in numerous command and staff leadership positions. He is a decorated combat veteran having served two combat tours in the Republic of Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division and with the United States Army Special Forces “Green Berets.”
Mr. Smith studied Liberal Arts at the State University of New York at Brockport and the University of South Carolina. Active in numerous professional and community organizations, Mr. Smith has served on the Board of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Board of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Heart Association.