About Us

David DeVaughn

Founder & Managing Principal

David DeVaughn is a highly-skilled Equity-Responsive Leadership Coach who guides leaders to prioritize values that drive individual growth, as well as institutional and systemic change.

With a strong commitment to advancing equity and justice, David leads StrivEquity Consulting LLC to collaborate with leaders and institutions in aligning and prioritizing initiatives to dismantle structural barriers. Depending on their positioning, power, and identity, David equips these leaders to enact individual learning agendas and identify capacity-building opportunities to achieve their personal and professional goals, while promoting a more just and equitable society.

David’s leadership coaching curriculum and approach center on diversity, inclusion, race, equity, care, compassion, and trauma, where he emerged as a leadership coach through the Teleos Leadership Institute’s Teleos Coach Development Program. Upon completing the program, he became credentialed as an Associate Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation and as a Minority-Owned Business Enterprise by the New York City Department of Small Business Services. He was a National Urban Fellow in 2013 and a ProInspire Fellow in 2011. David holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College and a bachelor’s degree in American Studies/Latin@ Studies from Williams College. Originally from Chestnut Hill and Brockton, Massachusetts, David brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to promoting equity and justice to his leadership development practice.

David’s past and current collaborations include Black Entrepreneurship NYC (BE NYC), Baruch College Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, New York City Public Schools, and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture. David has also worked alongside QJM Multiprise, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Equity & Culture Lab, Trenia Parham // Sustainable Leadership, and the Youth INC Rise Academy for Leaders of Color.

My Story

During my undergraduate studies at Williams College, I was introduced to the concept of “strivings” through a course taught by Professor MaryNell Morgan: “Significant Texts in the Social Sciences and Humanities: The Souls of Black Folk, An Exemplar.”
The course focused on the work of W.E.B. DuBois, particularly his use of “spiritual strivings” to highlight the duality and realities of being Black in America.
As a cis Black man with privilege navigating systems within the Northeastern United States, I realized this concept was absent from my leadership development experiences.
While attending various organizational professional development opportunities, the importance of leadership was consistently emphasized. However, there was little conversation around what it meant to strive towards equity in our lives, teams, and organizations.
Discussions about leadership, management, and feedback often acknowledged privilege, power, and identity, but these elements were not operationalized through the content, activities, and takeaways.
These opportunities failed to unpack the nuances of how social identities impact interpersonal, inter-team, and institutional dynamics, often leading to a loss of authenticity, respect, boundaries, and acknowledgment.
Through my own journey of healing and seeking support, I believe that StrivEquity’s approach provides important lessons and approaches for leaders to thrive, while achieving their intended impacts.

You can read more in The Atlantic here: Strivings of the Negro People

Certifications

What Our Clients Say

StrivEquity’s past and current institutional collaborations include Baruch College Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, Black Entrepreneurship NYC (BE NYC), Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, New York City Public Schools, New York City Mayor’s Office of Urban Agriculture, QJM Multiprise, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Equity & Culture Lab, Trenia Parham // Sustainable Leadership, and the Youth INC Rise Academy for Leaders of Color.

Ron Harris Candidate for Congress in MN-03

My journey with coaching
with David at StrivEquity
has been a transformative experience that
catalyzed my decision
to run for Congress.

Keisha L. Goode, PhD Assistant Professor, Sociology

I don’t say this lightly: my coaching experience with David Devaughn has been one of the most significant personal and professional experiences of my life.

Ramy Kim Public Health Practitioner & Social Activist

David and I had worked together previously as colleagues, and I already knew of his gifts of making people feel heard and held and his integrity left an impression on me, which allowed me to trust him and the process deeply and without skepticism.

Tom Andruszewski Records Manager & Info Center Coordinator

The one-on-one, non-rushed experience allowed thoughts and feelings to surface in a way the other equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) trainings and events did not.

Jerome Nathaniel Director of Policy and Government Relations

David's approach to leadership coaching truly challenged me to confront the dichotomy (and synergies) between my personal goals, voice and values versus the ways I navigate the professional sphere.

Begin Your Journey Now

We support leaders through the Equity-Responsive Leadership (ERL) approach for those looking to respond to the call for more equitable lives, teams, and institutions.