David Chavis, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, is internationally recognized for his work in the implementation, support, and evaluation of community and systems change initiatives. The focus of his work is equitable community development as a central strategy to promote community resilience, economic and educational opportunities, improved health and well-being, and a more powerful citizenry. He also specializes in the design and implementation of community capacity building systems to bring about sustainable and scaled systems changes.

 

David has directed the evaluation of comprehensive community initiatives at the national and local levels around organizing, advocacy, collaborative approaches, economic development and housing, crime and violence reduction, neighborhood quality of life, and strengthening community resilience, with an emphasis on integrating science- and practice-based knowledge. Before founding Community Science, he was a community organizer, community development corporation executive director, director of a large university research and public service center, and a tenured university professor. He has been an officer and board member of AEA and other nonprofit organizations.

 

David brings expertise in a wide array of research and evaluation methodologies, from cross-case study to experimental design. He also leads national, statewide, and local evaluations of community and systems change initiatives, organizational and community capacity building, and multisectoral collaborations in his area of expertise by leading projects including evaluation of the Building And Bridging Power Initiative for The Colorado Trust, Community Driven Systems Change Strategy for the Schenectady Community Foundation, the Transformative Community Engagement Strategy for The Central Valley Community Foundation, and the evaluation of the Nexus for Equity + Opportunity Nationwide (NEON)consisting of nine community foundations working together to develop strategies that support the dismantling of structural racism and promoting social and economic mobility in BIPOC communities. David has also led projects that develop strategies and research that address the systemic factors that contribute to systemic inequities and solutions for addressing those factors such as the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative.

 

David enjoys traveling, motorcycle riding, playing the dobro, and barbecuing. He has a gift for finding great food anywhere — just ask him.

 

Education

  • Ph.D., Community Psychology, Vanderbilt University
  • B.A., Psychology-Communication, University of Buffalo

 Expertise

  • Community organizing and power building
  • Intermediaries and capacity-building ecosystems/infrastructure
  • Equitable housing and economic development strategies
  • Systems change strategies and evaluation
  • comprehensive community initiatives and other place-based strategies

 Notable Publications and Presentations

  • “Scope, Scale, and Sustainability: What it Takes to Create Lasting Community Change,” by T. Trent and D.M. Chavis. The Foundation Review, 2009, vol. 1 (1): 96–114.
  • “The Paradoxes and Promise of Community Coalitions,” by D.M. Chavis, American Journal of Community Psychology, 2001, vol. 29 (2): 309–20.
  • “Sense of Community: Advances in Measurement and Applications,” by D.M. Chavis and G.M.H. Pretty, Journal of Community Psychology, 1999, vol. 27 (6): 635–42.
  • “Nurturing Grassroots Initiatives for Community Development: The Role of Enabling Systems,” by D.M. Chavis, P. Florin, and M.R.J. Felix, in Community and Social Administration: Advances, Trends and Emerging Principles, edited by T. Mizrahi and J. Morrison (New York: Routledge, 1992).

 Past Exemplary Projects

  • Evaluation of the Walton Family Foundation Community Organizing Strategy
  • Evaluation of the Fresh-Lo initiative for the Kresge  Foundation (a creative place making initiative)
  • Evaluation of the planning phase of The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities Initiative
  • Transformative community engagement strategies for the  Central Valley Community Foundation
  • RSVP and Vista disaster response evaluation for the Corporation for National and Community Service (now AmeriCorps