Look Up…Challenge Poverty Dignity, Justice, Impact, Community

griffithd@ecs1870.org 215 840 8103 (C)215 351 1413 (W)

David Griffith, since July 2013, is the Executive Director of Episcopal Community Services of Philadelphia. With a legacy of tackling the impacts of chronic poverty in the Philadelphia region, ECS asks all individuals to look up, to challenge poverty, and empower individual choice and advocates that to make change in our community we must all be one on this issue. ECS addresses the self-identified needs of individuals and families by integrating data-driven research and implementing non-judgmental innovative best practices to deliver measurable impacts. He is the first non-clergy, non-MSW to head the organization in its 145 year history. He is an advocate for individuals and families in Poverty and believes strongly that the call to service along with the call for inclusion, diversity and the equal access to opportunity is core to the Episcopal faith tradition.

Dave is also Chairmen of Modern Group Ltd an employee owned industrial holding company (A 70 year old firm, representing Hyundai forklifts and construction equipment, Generac generators, Bandit chippers, Terex and Konecranes and other leading brands as well as service, parts and rentals to all makes in the space), Chairman of Delaware Valley Floral Group (The largest wholesale florist in the US and #2 worldwide) , Director and Governance Chair of the J. J. Haines Company (The largest flooring wholesaler in the US), Chairperson of Verus Advisory Board ( a leading provider of data analytics in litigation support), and Manager of Mountain Laurel Spirits LLC. (Maker of Dad’s Hat Rye Whiskey) He is also serves as a member of the IBM Midmarket Advisory Council. His nonprofit involvements are Vice Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, Trustee and Governance Chair of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Chairman of the McEwen Family Scholarship Trusts and Director of the Griffith Family Foundation. His blog “Wear Muddy Boots” www.wearmuddyboots.com is widely followed and focuses on the issues of leadership, talent development, management, faith, and the call to service. He is nationally recognized as an authority on governance in both for profit and nonprofit settings.

He is a frequent lecturer on leadership and the call to service at the University of Pennsylvania’s Nonprofit Leadership Program, the Wharton School, the Fox School of Business, and Rutgers School of Engineering. He is a former trustee, officer, and chair of Development at The Westminster School, Director of The Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, Senior Warden of Trinity Episcopal Church, YPO of Philadelphia and forum officer, and past president of the Material Handling Equipment Dealers Association (MHEDA) and a past director of the National Association of Wholesalers Institute for Distribution Excellence (NAWIDE). He has been a member of several search committees’ including the CEO search for World Affairs Council, the Bishop search for the Diocese of Pennsylvania, and the CEO search for the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel.

Prior to joining ECS, Dave was President and CEO over a 20 year span with Modern Group Ltd, and a senior executive with MCI ( VP of Marketing) and ROLM (Director of Sales & Distribution) for a number of years. He started his business career at IBM in 1976 where in 1979 he was the recognized as one of the top marketing representatives in the US and later served as Branch Manager, Administrative Assistant to the President, Regional Manager and as Director of Marketing. Dave graduated from Kenyon College with honors in 1976 with a BA in Economics and History, and The Westminster School in 1972. While at Kenyon he worked as an EMT and fireman with the College Township Fire Department and played both D-III soccer and lacrosse. He is married to Jacqui McEwen Griffith and they have two adult children, one dog and one very old cat.