Full Name
Mr. David Schiff
Job Title
Director of Strategic Engagement, Partnerships, & Talent Acquisition
Company
NavalX
Speaker Bio
David Schiff is a Department of Navy (DON) leader, innovator, and coalition-builder who has spent his career leading change and innovation efforts across the Navy and Marine Corps. Inspired to serve his country after hearing General Colin Powell and Robert Gates speak about service at his undergraduate university, David joined the Navy shortly after 9/11. After graduating from Naval Officer Candidate School, he served as a division officer on the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and a department head on the Ohio class submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) before joining the DON as an acquisition civilian in 2009. He served for the past decade in acquisition positions with Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).
In 2019, he was hand-picked to help launch and lead NavalX, the Navy’s workforce "super-connector," focused on scaling non-traditional agility methods across the Navy and Marine Corps. During his tenure as the Deputy Director and Director of Strategic Engagements, he has helped build coalitions and advance innovation programs across the DON, DoD, and broader federal government. Recent initiatives include creating experimental lines of effort to facilitate human-centered design based problem curation workshops, kick-starting a rotating-host defense, intelligence, federal innovator’s monthly Salon, creating and running many NavalX branded panel discussions – Seaside Chats -- with topics requested by Naval workforce and leadership. David has connected thousands of Naval personnel, military and civilian, with leaders and other valuable members of industry, academic, and federal workforces.
He also had the honor of serving as a NAVSEA Commander’s Executive Fellow, a multi-year rotational leadership fellowship that included roles as an FMB (Navy Budget Office) Weapons Analyst at the Pentagon, a Defense Innovation Unit warfighter-in-residence based in Silicon Valley, and the NAVSEA Digital Transformation deputy, amongst others. He also serves as the co-founder and co-chair of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum’s ideas to action committee, Hopper.
He holds an MBA from The George Washington University School of Business and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and English from Vanderbilt University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. He has also completed several executive education programs focused on human-centered design and executive leadership at Duke University, University of Virginia, Cornell University, IDEO, Luma, and ThinkWrong. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and daughter.
In 2019, he was hand-picked to help launch and lead NavalX, the Navy’s workforce "super-connector," focused on scaling non-traditional agility methods across the Navy and Marine Corps. During his tenure as the Deputy Director and Director of Strategic Engagements, he has helped build coalitions and advance innovation programs across the DON, DoD, and broader federal government. Recent initiatives include creating experimental lines of effort to facilitate human-centered design based problem curation workshops, kick-starting a rotating-host defense, intelligence, federal innovator’s monthly Salon, creating and running many NavalX branded panel discussions – Seaside Chats -- with topics requested by Naval workforce and leadership. David has connected thousands of Naval personnel, military and civilian, with leaders and other valuable members of industry, academic, and federal workforces.
He also had the honor of serving as a NAVSEA Commander’s Executive Fellow, a multi-year rotational leadership fellowship that included roles as an FMB (Navy Budget Office) Weapons Analyst at the Pentagon, a Defense Innovation Unit warfighter-in-residence based in Silicon Valley, and the NAVSEA Digital Transformation deputy, amongst others. He also serves as the co-founder and co-chair of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum’s ideas to action committee, Hopper.
He holds an MBA from The George Washington University School of Business and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and English from Vanderbilt University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. He has also completed several executive education programs focused on human-centered design and executive leadership at Duke University, University of Virginia, Cornell University, IDEO, Luma, and ThinkWrong. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and daughter.
Speaking At
