David Wick, President

David Wick founded Youth Services in Santa Cruz and Watsonville California in 1974, with a staff of eight, an eager group of volunteers, and with a budget of only $17,000. This current multi-million dollar center is still going strong today. Based on the dynamic early years of Youth Services he authored a chapter in the recently published book, “The Origins of Neuro Linguistic Programming.” In 1983 David helped launch the United Nations NGO, Pathways To Peace (PTP) which had assisted the resolution passage of the UN’s International Day of Peace in 1981. David has been a leader in organizing the celebration of the International Day of Peace since 1984 and he currently serves as a PTP Director. While working at Stanford University, in 1985 he founded the ten year-long PTP Peace Within Organizations program and in 1995 co-founded the visionary project Peace Building Through Business which led to being a leading member of a five year international think tank on the future role of business in the 21st Century. David is currently the Team Leader of the global Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI), a UN-designated “Peace Messenger Initiative”, of which Pathways To Peace serves as the Secretariat.

David also works in the Public Diplomacy area through placing foreign exchange students in high schools and with host families. In his current role as Vice President of Southern Oregon China Connection, David has been an essential initiator in developing the growing economic, educational and cultural bridge between Oregon and China and works closely with Oregon’s legislators and the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. David has over 30 years of executive and management training and organizational development consulting experience, and has held important positions within Sun Microsystems, Stanford University, Levi Strauss and the European Foundation for Management Development (efmd). He has designed extensive international training programs, and has received accolades in both the business and peace building arenas. Building upon his Peacebuilding and consulting experience, David is co-leading a community and city development plan which will result in a Culture of Peace Commission in Ashland OR, and Peace education in its schools. He also served as the award-winning publisher at Silver Light Publications.