David Acker is a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He teaches and coaches in the Arbuckle Leadership Fellows program and is a T-group facilitator in the school’s most popular elective, Interpersonal Dynamics (aka “Touchy Feely”).

External to Stanford, David maintains an executive coaching practice helping leaders develop, navigate complex transition, and find more joy and ease in work and life. His clients are primarily venture-backed CEOs and executives, small business owners, and senior leaders at late-stage and public companies, working to enhance interpersonal effectiveness, inner capacity building, work-life balance, and team dynamics. He is also an active startup investor, advisor, and consultant.

Over the last 15 years, David founded and operated multiple brick-and-mortar businesses, primarily in the fitness industry, with locations across California, Texas, and the Northeast. He has also consulted for education nonprofits and startups on strategy, sales, people ops, corporate development, and M&A. David began his career as a consultant at Charles River Associates in its Financial Accounting and Valuation group.

David holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, an MA in education from Stanford Graduate School of Education, and a BA in economics from Colby College. Additionally, he has coaching certifications from the International Coach federation (ACC) and the Co-Active Training Institute (CPCC).