David Crislip, MPA

David Chrislip is principal of Skillful Means, a 15-year-old organization that helps citizens and civic leaders enhance their leadership capacities and create visions and strategies for their communities through collaboration. Previously, David served as a Senior Associate of the National Civic League, Vice President of Research and Development for the American Leadership Forum, Program Director for the Center for Public/Private Sector Cooperation, and Proposal Manager for The Boeing Company. He is the co-founder of the Denver Community Leadership Forum. His roles have included: teaching, research, writing, process design, capacity building, leadership coaching and consulting, and group facilitation.

David has taught graduate courses in leadership and ethics at the University of Denver and at the University of Colorado at Denver, and is a senior Course Director with the Colorado Outward Bound School and the National Outdoor Leadership School.

David has written a number of published articles on politics, civic engagement, and civil society and is the co-author, with Carl Larson, of Collaborative Leadership: How Citizens and Civic Leaders Can Make a Difference (Jossey-Bass, 1994) and author of The Collaborative Leadership Fieldbook: A Guide for Citizens and Civic Leaders (Jossey-Bass, 2002).