David Handy

Professional Experience

Interim Executive Director

Led turnaround of a critical child advocacy nonprofit, aligning programmatic, financial, and community strategies to restore trust and enhance impact.

• Built coalitions across government, legal, and nonprofit sectors to strengthen systemic support for vulnerable youth, while fostering a culture of learning and accountability within staff and volunteer teams.
• Mitigated compliance issues while fostering a growth-oriented staff culture and expanding community alignment with organizational goals.
• Acted as executive liaison with Board, court system, district government, funders, and leadership team.
• Renegotiated contracts with district agencies to right-size revenue streams.
• Implemented KPI-driven performance dashboards to monitor organizational health, grant compliance, and volunteer engagement.
• Key Outcomes:
  • Strategically doubled board membership, enhancing diversity and skill sets.
  • Resolved multiple federal grant compliance issues, leading to the unfreezing of federal funds across three major grants.
  • Augmented organizational capacity by mobilizing volunteers to strengthen community engagement, partnerships, and fundraising efforts.
  • Boosted volunteer recruitment, screening, and training, resulting in 200% more volunteers in FY25 vs. FY24.
  • Doubled youth referrals, optimizing caseloads and amplifying the organization’s mission.
  • Implemented staff performance management system, which included multiple sources of feedback, aligned professional development and supportive scaffolding for performance improvement.

Principal & nonprofit consultant

Supported regional and national nonprofits in strategic planning, systems design, and youth-centered program development.

• Partnered with executive teams of nonprofit networks to conduct comprehensive organizational assessments and clarify network strategic priorities.
• Managed complex projects and promoted operational excellence through tailored consulting engagements.
• Advanced equity for youth of color through co-creation of the TORCH Coaching Program for Omega Lamplighters, a culturally responsive mentoring model emphasizing identity, resilience, and leadership.
• Analyzed and improved data management approaches across a national network of affiliates to drive program fidelity and continuous improvement.

Director, Program Implementation

AARP Foundation Experience Corps – Washington, DC (Remote) | 2014 – 2023

• Led national initiatives across 23 affiliate programs, managing network relationships and implementing performance standards aligned with strategic outcomes.
• Identified and spearheaded network growth opportunities by cultivating external relationships, leading community organizing efforts, and providing targeted implementation support.
• Advanced equity in literacy programming through multi-site implementation models grounded in community sustainability.
• Developed and executed change management strategies to align local program implementation with research-based literacy models.
• Oversaw AmeriCorps and VISTA federal compliance, ensuring risk mitigation and accountability across multisite operations; Supported AmeriCorps programming with an emphasis on educational access, intergenerational mentoring, and community resilience.
• Supervised cross-functional staff, coordinated executive reporting, and contributed to strategic planning in collaboration with EVP-level leadership.
• Enhanced stakeholder engagement through targeted outreach campaigns and collaborative partnership building.
• Established data-driven evaluation protocols informing adaptive management and organizational growth strategies.

Director of Field Support

Communities In Schools (CIS) National Office – Arlington, VA (Remote) | 2004 – 2014

• Directed national support for a network of 180+ affiliates, aligning field operations with executive and board-level goals.
• Generated network strategy through creation and deployment of the Total Quality System (TQS), a performance management and improvement framework.
• Guided development of data tools and dashboards to drive systemic improvement and cultural alignment across diverse regions.
• Managed regional teams to implement change management and quality assurance strategies within local CIS programs.

Ph.D. in Family Therapy – Florida State University

M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy – East Carolina University

B.A. in Political Science – Davidson College