Dan Schwab
Leadership Challenge Certified Master
In his twenty years of human resource and training experience, Dan has consistently made leadership development his passion and focus. From his first association with The Leadership Challenge® as a ropes course guide in 1987, to leading workshops as a Certified Master, Dan brings skill and dedication to helping others develop their vision of a future that is green, humane, and inclusive.
Dan first began working with Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner in the early years of their leadership research, providing the outdoor experiential component of what became The Leadership Challenge Workshop. As a Certified Master, Dan has designed and delivered dozens of programs that employ The Leadership Challenge content and is the author of the The Leadership Challenge Vision Book.
Dan’s background includes working with clients from the private, non-profit and education sectors. From 2001 to 2009, he served as Director of Training and Organizational Development for the Trust for Public Land (TPL), where his expertise in adult learning contributed to the success of one of America’s most effective conservation organizations. Prior to TPL, Dan worked as an internal training consultant with Franklin Templeton Investments, a multinational financial services firm. From 1983 to 1995 he was a key member of Pro-Action Associates—a pioneer experiential training provider—guiding thousands nationwide through adventure team-building programs.
Dan’s recent clients through Sonoma Leadership Systems (SLS) include the University of California at Davis, Driscoll’s, Intel, Applied Materials, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, Western Union, AAA, ExxonMobil Chemical, and the Bureau of Land Management. An accomplished coach, he has worked with many SLS clients on interpreting their Leadership Practices Inventory® results and building robust personal development plans.
Dan holds a B.A. in Human Resource Management from the Dominican University of California as well as a Certificate in Training and Human Resource Development from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a graduate of Coach University and is currently enrolled in the Professional Coach Certification program at New Ventures West in San Francisco.
Dan’s diverse experience in the business, public and philanthropic arenas, combined with his extensive world travels and community activism, have made him a seasoned consultant and workshop leader. Known for his thoughtful delivery and keen sense of humor, Dan brings insight and expertise to any organizational-change effort.
An intrepid outdoorsman, Dan regularly shares his love of nature by leading whitewater and sea kayaking adventures for at-risk youth, college students, and people with special needs. Dan and his wife live in Richmond, California.