David Kovick

David Kovick is a Senior Associate at the Consensus Building Institute (CBI).  His work includes negotiation and conflict resolution skills training for public and private sector leaders and organizations, stakeholder assessment [1]and process design [2], strategic planning for large international organizations, and mediation [3]and facilitation [4]of complex public disputes.

In the Private Sector, David has trained [5]and coached [5]leaders and teams from Fortune 50 corporate clients [6], including Hewlett Packard, Shell Oil, and Chevron, on complex internal and external negotiations with suppliers, joint-venture partners, and community stakeholders.  Internationally [7], David has worked with partners in governments, political parties, indigenous communities, the United Nations system, and civil society in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to build negotiation capacity and to help resolve complex disputes over public policy issues, governance reforms and international development programs.

Relevant project work includes:

• Designing and delivering customized negotiation training programs for Hewlett Packard, including courses in Advanced Negotiation, Cross-Cultural Negotiation, and Critical Negotiations. These programs combine negotiation training with coaching, consulting and advising as HP teams prepare for upcoming critical negotiations. 
• Negotiation training and capacity building for senior Shell Oil executives in Malaysia (covering senior managers from across Asia) and Nigeria.
• Designing and facilitating an innovative approach to the way in which Chevron Nigeria negotiates its relationships with oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta. CBI acts as a neutral party, providing joint negotiation training to all parties, as well as facilitating a structured negotiation process, including facilitating the preparation sessions of all parties. See Case Study [8].  
• Training, coaching and advising senior leaders from across the United Nations system in negotiation and consensus-building, stakeholder assessment, and the complex internal and external dynamics of the UN system. See an example of CBI's work with the UN [9]. 

David is trained as a lawyer, having completed his JD at Stanford Law School in 2004, and his BA from Duke University in 1996 with a joint degree in political science and African studies. Prior to joining CBI, David spent five years working in international political development with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), as a field representative in Zimbabwe and Southeast Asia. He is also a part-time faculty member of the Dispute Resolution Program at the University of Massachusetts (Boston).