Advisory
Turning broad objectives into understandable structures and implementable plans.
David works with leaders and organizations confronting complex institutional, policy, operational and public-service challenges. The work focuses on turning broad objectives into understandable structures, practical systems and implementable plans — not slide decks.
Areas of work
Where the work concentrates
Advisory work spans institutional design, governance, policy, education, healthcare and public-service systems. Every engagement is shaped to the actual problem rather than to a standard offering.
01
Institution & organization design
Founding structure, governance charters, operating models and the boundary between academic, executive and administrative authority.
02
Governance & operating models
Board structure, decision authority, delegation, escalation, accountability — the machinery that outlives the people currently in the room.
03
Education & academic systems
Academic model design, senate/faculty governance, program architecture, quality assurance and long-horizon institutional planning.
04
Healthcare & emergency-service systems
Service design and operating protocols where the failure mode is not academic — protocols, thresholds and escalation paths as institutional artifacts.
05
Public policy development
Policy that is designed to be implementable — with the operating requirements, transitional structures and accountability mechanisms already thought through.
06
Program architecture
Turning ministerial intent, funder requirements or executive ambition into programs that can be run without heroic effort by their operators.
07
Strategic planning
Plans written to survive contact with an ordinary Tuesday — sequenced, resourced, and connected to the operating model that will actually deliver them.
08
Organizational transformation
Structured change work — where the target state, the transition, and the guardrails against regression are all designed as one thing.
09
Complex project structuring
Multi-party, multi-year projects — governance, phasing, decision gates, and the seams between vision and operations.
10
Research & policy translation
Turning research findings and policy analysis into decisions that leaders and operators can actually use.
11
Service design
End-to-end design of the encounter between an institution and the person it serves — students, patients, citizens, clients.
12
Implementation planning
Sequenced, resourced, honest plans for the point at which the announcement ends and the work begins.
13
Executive & leadership advisory
Confidential counsel to Presidents, CEOs, Deputy Ministers, Deans, board chairs and executive leaders on structural and consequential decisions.
14
Communications for complex initiatives
How a serious initiative should describe itself — internally to staff and board, externally to funders, partners and the public.
15
Technology-enabled operating systems
The role of data, information systems and platform choices in making an institution's operating model actually work at scale.
Engagement types
Ways the work is shaped
Every engagement starts with a defined problem and a written agreement. The shape below describes the range of formats — the right one is chosen during scoping.
Executive advisory
A confidential ongoing relationship with a President, CEO or senior leader on structural questions.
Project-based consulting
A defined engagement with a scope, timeline and deliverable — typically 3 to 12 months.
Policy review
A structured review of an existing policy or program against implementation feasibility and public outcomes.
Strategic workshops
Facilitated executive sessions to shape a decision, align a team or design a program.
Institutional design
Founding or restructuring an organization — from the governance charter down to the operating model.
Governance development
Board and executive architecture, delegation, committee structure and decision authority.
Research & analysis
Focused research on a defined question, delivered in a form leaders can use to decide.
Program assessment
Independent assessment of a program against its intended structure and outcomes.
Facilitated sessions
Strategic offsites, board retreats and executive team sessions.
Special-project leadership
Named, time-boxed leadership of a strategic initiative — designed to hand off to a permanent operator on completion.
Engagement process
How an engagement unfolds
A predictable, written process — not a black box. Every step is designed so both sides know where the work stands and what decision comes next.
- 01
Initial confidential conversation
A one-hour conversation to understand the situation, the constraint and whether an engagement is a fit for both sides. No cost, no commitment.
- 02
Problem & context assessment
A short structured written summary of the actual problem, the surrounding context and the questions worth answering. Where possible, this is done before scoping.
- 03
Defined scope & engagement model
A written engagement agreement — objectives, working model, timeline, deliverables, cost, confidentiality and how disagreements will be resolved.
- 04
Research & development
The substantive work — interviews, document review, structured analysis, options development and, where appropriate, design of the recommended structure.
- 05
Recommendations or system design
A written recommendation, structural design or plan — expressed with the level of specificity required for it to be acted on, not just admired.
- 06
Implementation support
Where appropriate, continued support during implementation — coaching, review points, and the discipline of returning to the operating model when things drift.
Frequently asked
The practical questions
- What does confidentiality look like?
- Every engagement operates under a mutual confidentiality agreement. Nothing about a client, a client's problem or a client's decisions is shared without written permission. This includes not naming clients publicly unless jointly agreed.
- How are engagements typically structured commercially?
- Most engagements are structured as a fixed fee against a defined scope, with a defined change-control process if scope shifts. Executive advisory retainers are structured as a monthly fee with a defined access model. Public-sector engagements follow the client's procurement process.
- Can David work alongside internal teams or existing consultants?
- Yes. Most serious engagements involve working with an internal team and often other advisors. Roles, decision authority and information sharing are defined at the start of the engagement, not improvised later.
- What kinds of organizations do you not take on?
- David does not take on engagements where the intended outcome is a marketing document rather than a real decision, or where the terms of engagement do not leave room for candid advice.
Inquiry
Begin a confidential conversation.
Share what you can here — no highly sensitive detail is needed at this stage. A short note about the problem and the organizational context is usually enough to know whether an initial conversation is the right next step.
Or write directly: advisory@davidgehry.com
Not looking to engage?