Testimonials

Read What Others Are Saying…

Testimonial – Walker

Our members loved his talk! David DeLong’s presentation, “Building Tomorrow’s Workforce in Today’s Economy”, was a favorite at our Spring membership meeting. David is without a doubt one of the hardest working speakers I have ever worked with. He took the time to interview several members in the weeks before the meeting to customize the program and make it even more meaningful for attendees. If you’re looking for an excellent workforce speaker for your next event, look no further than David DeLong.

Dan Walker, Managing Director
Industrial Fasteners Institute

Testimonial – Barr

Thank you so much for serving as one of our keynote speakers at the Pennsylvania Chamber Educational Foundation/Pennsylvania Bankers Association Annual Economic Summit. Your insights into the national workforce talent and training shortage were excellent, and the examples you cited to supplement your points were outstanding. You certainly added to the great success of this event. It was a pleasure having you on the program.

Gene Barr, President
PA Chamber of Business & Industry

Testimonial – Weatherford

You did your homework and listened well and brought new and thought provoking information to our Organization of Nurse Leaders program with your “Accelerating Leadership Development” presentation. Your content and presentation were concrete, useful, thought provoking and inspiring. Thank you for working with healthcare leaders!

Dr. Barbara Weatherford, Chair, Adult & Child Dept., College of Nursing
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Testimonial – Scholz

Dave was an outstanding resource for a key initiative we launched to enhance the career development experiences of our undergraduates. He helped plan and facilitate a retreat to design and build momentum for the initiative. He provided valuable advice following the retreat, gently and persistently posing questions that helped focus our next steps. In short, Dave added value at each step of the way.

Karl Scholz, Dean College of Letters & Science
University of Wisconsin – Madison

Testimonial – Thompson

David DeLong’s presentation: ‘Confronting the Threat of a Changing Workforce: A Framework for Action’ was ideal for the American Organization of Nurse Executives annual meeting audience. David’s presentation clearly outlined the very serious threat we face relative to ‘lost wisdom’ in nursing. He was able to frame and articulate why this particular problem could create both a crisis and an opportunity for our profession. We thank David for providing such clarity, while also instilling appropriate alarm.

Pamela Thompson, CEO
American Organization of Nurse Executives

Testimonial – Allen

The ‘Mentoring for Fun & Profit: 6 Keys to Effective Knowledge Transfer’ workshop by Dr. David DeLong was an exceptionally worthwhile event for managers and staff alike. Attendees commented how excited they were to immediately share his thoughts and material with their own teams. His program definitely improved our mentoring skills, as well as, our understanding and need for efficient and effective knowledge transfer.

H. Wayne Allen, Consultant, Network Engineering Infrastructure
MasterCard

Testimonial – Video – Allen

Listen to what Katharine Allen, president of InterpretAmerica said after my keynote talk to the global translation industry.

Testimonial – Hopson

Dr. DeLong’s keynote presentation “Closing the Skills Gap,” was appreciated and highly rated by the business owners, CEOs, and HR professionals who attended our employer seminar. Acquiring and retaining quality employees is always a topic of interest and concern to our audience and Dr. DeLong provided “doable” tactics for minimizing risks, identifying solid hires and growing talent from within. They appreciated his vast knowledge of the subject matter and his ability to present it in an engaging manner.

Sylvia Hopson, Executive Director
Michigan Works!

Testimonial – Nappi

Thanks for being part of the NPES annual conference. Your ideas for solving today’s talent problems and accelerating leadership development really resonated with our executive audience. Your efforts to research our industry and tailor your talks to our leaders’ needs were outstanding. Some speakers say they do personalize their talks, you REALLY do!! It was a pleasure working with you.

Ralph Nappi, Executive Director
NPES

Testimonial – Grossman

Dave DeLong created tremendous buzz among our members with his keynote talk on “Accelerating Leadership Development” at our Annual International Conference. Executives were talking all week about his practical ideas for managing a diverse workforce and identifying potential skills gaps in their organization. Our board was thrilled that we chose such an engaging speaker for this meeting. The pre-interviews Dave did with some of our leaders produced an impressively customized program. It was great working with Dave.

Ian M. Grossman, Vice President
Member Services & Public Affairs, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators

Testimonial – Woodhouse

David DeLong has done workshops for our fast growing architecture firm on mentoring, giving and receiving feedback, and starting difficult conversations. We have brought David back repeatedly to work with us because he engages our multi-generational staff, customizes his content to the firm’s specific needs, and delivers practical examples. Our emerging leaders told us that they applied what they learned the same day to real challenges they experience.

Rachel Woodhouse, Principal
Dyer Brown Architects

Testimonial – Robertson

David spoke to ASAE’s Key Professional Association Committee, a high-powered group of CEO’s who run the largest individual membership organizations in the US. They were very impressed with his command of the trends and supporting data about the future of talent management, and its growing importance in all sectors of our business landscape. His presentation underscored the fact that a more strategic and informed approached to managing talent is critical to the future success and sustainability of their associations. They walked away with useful insights and practical ways to think about their own human resource management in the months and years to come.

Susan Robertson, EVP
American Society of Association Executives

Testimonial – Proto 2

David set a perfect tone as the opening keynote speaker at our Annual Conference for the National FORUM of State Nursing Workforce Centers. With humor and extensive examples, he showed which leadership behaviors are essential for success in the fast changing nursing and healthcare environment. His greatest ability is showing how best practices from other industries can be applied to improve workforce engagement and productivity. We would definitely work with David in the near future!

Marcia Proto, Executive Director
Connecticut League for Nursing

Testimonial – Sloan

Our association of specialty chemical manufacturers is very diverse and challenged to find good quality employees. At our recent Annual Leadership Conference, Dave DeLong did an excellent job engaging our C-level audience on the highly relevant risks of critical skill shortages. His entertaining keynote presentation was full of practical steps that leaders can take. It was the type of session our members really value. In today’s demanding global manufacturing economy, it is more important than ever to understand how companies can hire the right workers. I highly recommend David for your association’s upcoming event to help your members remain the innovative leaders they are.

Lawrence Sloan, CEO
SOCMA

Testimonial – Lynch, Scott

Thank you so much for your participation in ABMA’s Annual Manufacturers Conference. Your keynote talk “Closing the Skills Gap” was the highest rated session of our meeting. We also received positive feedback from numerous attendees on your “Accelerating Leadership Development” breakout session. Your thought provoking insights and practical solutions for addressing the difficult issues facing ABMA members were greatly appreciated.

Scott Lynch, CEO
American Boiler Manufacturers Association

Testimonial – Farley

Dave DeLong’s “Closing the Skills Gap” presentation at our Annual Meeting was a huge hit! In fact, 96% of our executive audience rated his keynote talk “good to excellent.” FIA members loved the topic, and found Dave’s perspectives very thought provoking and entertaining. They particularly liked his specific, actionable ideas which they could apply immediately. We look forward to working with Dave again.

Don Farley, Director of Marketing
Forging Industry Association

Testimonial – Marsh

Thanks for putting so much work and preparation into your presentation! We really appreciate your time, care and attention to making sure you keynote delivered on what NASPO members really need.

Molly Marsh, Programs Manager
National Association of State Procurement Officials

Testimonial – Johnson

Thank you for leading a great session for Mass Audubon’s leadership team. Your thorough preparation in advance of our meeting showed in a thoughtful presentation that stimulated good discussion and lots of ideas. You conveyed a tremendous amount of information while keeping everyone engaged and interested. I appreciated the way you used humor, relevant examples and thought provoking questions to set participants up for great small group discussions. You started us down a path that I’m sure will benefit the organization for years to come.

Laura Johnson, President
Mass Audubon

Testimonial – Hartgen

We had Dave on a panel titled, “Is Your Association Doing Enough to Close the Skills Gap? National Leadership & Local Action as a Blueprint for Effective Collaboration.” Not only did he provide a fresh and much needed focus to the topic to the 80 CEOs in the room, but he took the time to interview about 10 of them prior to the conference to best understand the audience. This is a guy that understands how to be engaged and who is extremely knowledgeable/passionate on this subject.

Paul Hartgen, Executive Director
Council of Manufacturing Associations

Testimonial – Pellman

Thanks for your valuable contributions at the “Optimizing the Age 50+ Workforce” Summit. Your expertise, insights and ideas generated a forum for an engaging and inspiring experience for Bank of America’s leaders.

Elyse Pellman, President
Age Wave

Testimonial – Marti

David DeLong recently spoke at an industry event for MSCI and our attendees were very impressed with his ability to apply his research to the practical problems faced daily by company executives. We’re already working with David to bring his expertise to our industry’s executives at additional conferences and forums.

Chris Marti, CIO & VP of Executive Education
Metal Service Center Institute

Testimonial – Sutherland

David, thank you for your excellent general session presentation at the 2017 AAA Travel Conference. Your ideas on the workforce helped shape one of the best conferences we’ve had in many years! We’re extremely grateful for the contribution you made.

Bill Sutherland, SVP
AAA, Travel & Publishing

Testimonial – Morrione

Dave DeLong truly captured the attention of my undergraduate class on nonprofit organizations… For the first community based service learning course Colby’s offered on this topic I wanted students to hear an expert, particularly one with charisma and real depth of experience, talking about causes and consequences of lost knowledge. I needed someone who would make the theoretical material we are reading relevant to the all too real problems of the nonprofits with which we have partnered.

Dave’s contribution in these ways was exceptional. Not only that, but he also showed students worrying about the job market why they will quite likely come out fine as our country’s demographic profile changes! He presented complex ideas clearly and gave the students useful tools to bring to their nonprofits. His enthusiasm is contagious and it was abundantly clear that he truly enjoys teaching. All the students recommend that next time the course is offered that he be invited back to lead it off with a lecture. Great job!

Prof. Thomas J. Morrione, Charles A Dana Professor of Sociology
Colby College

Testimonial – Wiggins

Excellent session at the BAE Systems HR conference! The fun generational differences activities had everyone thinking: “Wow, times have changed at the blinking of an eye!” Your session charged my organization to think about how the issues of the aging workforce are going to impact our business and what are we going to do about it.

Tia Wiggins, HR Business Partner
BAE Systems

Testimonial – Gordon

Thank you so much for an enlightening presentation at the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy. …You kept the audience engaged and …the conference provided real value on the topic.

Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., President and CEO
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority

Testimonial – Villano

Our audience for Dave DeLong’s presentation was a mixture of workforce development professionals and community leaders. …Instead of speaking to the choir, he wound up converting 125 people to the gospel of retaining lost knowledge. …His information is as entertaining as it is distressing.

Bill Villano, Director
Connecticut Workforce Alliance

Testimonial – Lynch

Thank you for your contributions to the knowledge management virtual discussion for our Employer Partners. … Your presentation on “Conceptualizing Knowledge Transfer” was both useful and insightful. …The average rating for your presentation was 4.3 out of 5. …We look forward to working with you again in the future.

Kathy Lynch, Director, Employer Engagement
Boston College Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility

Testimonial – De Moor

Thank you for doing a superb job at our conference ‘Achieving Growth through Strategic Innovation’ …in Brussels. … The evaluation forms we received … were uniformly laudatory of your contributions.

Dirk De Moor
Agoria

Testimonial – Thomson

Thank you for your energy and resourcefulness and attention to our needs. … You have been wonderful to work with!

Jean Thomson, President
Dashe & Thomson

Testimonial – Brakeley

Thanks for your excellent presentation last month at our Accenture Learning Innovation Retreat. … I know participants found it provocative and engaging.

Hap Brakeley, President
Accenture Learning

Testimonial – Scepkowski

Dr. DeLong’s contribution to the EduNeering conference was invaluable. His presentation was topical, relevant and compelling. …His ability to connect with the audience, and delve deeply into his material shows his passion for his work. …We look forward to our next event with David.

Bonni Scepkowski, President
Stellar Meetings & Events

Testimonial – Hare

Thank you for all you did to make our event such a huge success. …We are thrilled that we were able to get you here and that your material and presentation style were just superb.

Dr. Lyndall Hare, Director, Lifetime Learning Institute
Central Piedmont Community College

Testimonial – Young

Many sincere thanks for your wonderful presentation which was so professionally delivered and nicely tailored to South Dakota’s aging nursing workforce needs. Participants were truly wowed by your expertise and your light-hearted presentation style kept it fun and engaging!

Linda J. Young, South Dakota Board of Nursing Program Director
SD Center for Nursing Workforce

Testimonial – Henrikson

I would like to extend our sincerest appreciation for your participation in our recent national benefits symposium. …I look forward to the next time we are fortunate enough to collaborate together.

C. Robert Henrikson, President & CEO
MetLife, Inc.

Testimonial – Colvin

Your energy and presentation style – full of real-world case studies on the impact of an aging workforce – was a critical component of our recent benefits symposium. …Your message around anticipating and managing potential knowledge loss in the workplace is both timely and top of mind.

Ben Colvin, Vice President, Institutional Marketing
MetLife

Testimonial – MacLure

As the keynote speaker at RWD Technologies’ recent client conference, …Dr. DeLong created a sense of urgency concerning a very real issue stemming from an irreversible demographic trend, while providing attendees with the strategies and confidence to solve the problem. His energetic, yet approachable style made this presentation interactive and fun. It was a stimulating and thought-provoking start to our conference.

Mac MacLure, CEO
RWD Technologies

Testimonial – Russell

On behalf of AARP thanks for your participation in our conference, Business Solutions for an Aging Society. The program presentation was met with a great deal of enthusiasm that was evidenced by the questions and feedback from participants.

Deborah R. Russell, Director, Economic Security
AARP

Testimonial – Swindall

David DeLong brought unique insights and guidance to the pressing problem of effective talent management that has become a key leadership priority for manufacturers in Wisconsin. C-Level leaders in particular were very positive about his keynote address. Namely, 93% of manufacturers in attendance learned something they didn’t know before and could use in their business starting tomorrow. David’s remarks were a clear value addition to our most successful conference ever.

Lee Swindall, Executive Director
Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Testimonial – Napier

…David’s real life experiences and ability to translate other industry’s failures and triumphs in the healthcare arena was a noted plus for this audience. …Thank you for an exceptional presentation.

Duane F. Napier, >MSN, RN, BC – Executive Director
West Virginia Center for Nursing

Testimonial – Ellis

Thank you for participating as a panelist at the INPO CEO Conference. Your remarks on the aging workforce resonated with those in attendance since this is an important topic for our industry. …We appreciate the effort that went into your remarks…

Jim Ellis, President & CEO
Institute of Nuclear Power Operations

Testimonial – Kimball

Thanks for your wonderful contribution to our recent conference on ‘The Aging of Massachusetts’ sponsored by Governor Romney. Your passionate keynote presentation on the enormous implications of the aging workforce was a great learning experience. …The stories and insights you shared had a tremendous impact on the Governor’s staff.

Ranch C. Kimball, Secretary
Executive Office of Economic Development

Testimonial – Sohn

David, thanks for your wonderful contribution to our Passport to Leadership program. Your talk on “Eight Keys to Improving Knowledge Retention” really engaged both young and seasoned employees. …Thanks again for your efforts in helping us make progress on these important challenges.

Kiho Sohn, Chief of Knowledge Management
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

Testimonial – Sloane

…Thank you for your assessment of our organization and the impediments we face moving forward on our knowledge sharing strategic objective. …The assessment provided our leadership team with recommendations that will be incorporated into an actionable plan.

Melanie Sloane, Director, Strategic Missile Programs
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

Testimonial – Doody

Thank you for your very practical approaches in helping us develop a sound, explicit business case for our knowledge retention program. …Your insights and advice were invaluable.

Rich Doody, former Knowledge Management Program Leader
Kraft Foods

Testimonial – Dunn

Few speakers have the ability to translate demographic data into real-life impact. Thank you for your exceptional contribution to our Next Generation Workforce Conference.

Kempton Dunn, Director, Program Development
The Conference Board

Testimonial – Rosselli

“I was so delighted to have you speak to our group, the “Precision Metalforming Association,” this past month in Puerto Rico. …I was convinced from our first meeting that you had the answers to…workforce knowledge retention. …I hope other organizations hear your message and jump on board before it is too late.

Bernard Rosselli, PMA Past Chairman & President
Stewart EFI

Testimonial – Harris

Your remarks during the opening session of our May Summit were outstanding. The presentation was instrumental in setting the tone for the rest of the conference.

Wylecia Wiggs Harris, Executive Director
Center for American Nurses

Testimonial – Brandon

Dr. DeLong delivered a truly informative and relevant presentation to our audience of international business owners and CEOs. He offered concrete strategies for addressing workforce issues experienced in our industry and challenged the audience to be proactive and strategic about them. There was a lot of food for thought and actionable take-aways.

Laura Brandon, Executive Director
Globalization & Localization Association

Testimonial – Wright

David DeLong recently led a workshop for The Conference Board of Canada’s Human Resource Executive Councils. It was a pleasure working with David from early conversations to understand the audience and session objectives through post-event follow up.
He is very professional and goes the extra mile to ensure he’s prepared. His interactive style allowed members to thoroughly discuss issues and surface great practices. He also shared his deep knowledge on the challenges faced by executives and offered strategies to mitigate the risks. Members left the workshop with practical advice and tools which can be put to immediate use in their organizations.

Ruth Wright, Associate Director
The Conference Board of Canada

Testimonial – Hevey

Your keynote presentation to MHCA last week in Scottsdale was just great. Our members have expressed their appreciation for your preparation and delivery style. David, you exceeded our expectations.

Donald J. Hevey, President & CEO
Mental Health Corp. of America

Testimonial – Moody

Dave DeLong really hit a cord with our Center for Information Management Studies sponsors at our program on Sustaining Critical IT Workforce Capabilities: Framework for Action. He is no doubt THE authority on the subject of the changing workforce and we were very impressed with how he tailored his insights to our diverse group of IT executives. The participants’ comments tell the story best.
One executive wrote, “One of the best presentations ever given at CIMS.” Another said, “I really enjoyed the real life examples and a-ha’s for closing the gap with generation Y & X. And yet another, “Dave’s life scenarios were extremely helpful…I can apply his material to my own concerns and issues.”

Kavin Moody, Executive Director
Center for Information Management Studies, Babson College

Testimonial – Gray 2

Your presentation on the ‘Five Myths of a Changing Workforce’ was a huge hit at our annual HR Leadership Conference.

Curt Gray, SVP, Human Resources
BAE Systems

Testimonial – Morrison

Dr. DeLong’s work with our staff resulted in outcomes far beyond what we expected. …With his guidance, we created a very precise road map for passing on critical knowledge to new staff. … We definitely look forward to working with you again!

Mary-Anne Morrison, Director
Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development

Testimonial – Virgilio

Thanks for delivering such a terrific series of workshops for the NRC. …We look forward to working with you again.

Marty Virgilio, Deputy Executive Director for Operations
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Testimonial – Condon

Thanks for your terrific presentation at the annual VHA Mountain States Leadership Conference. You really zeroed in on the workforce and talent management issues facing our healthcare clients. Your customized approach to our executive audience was a tremendous hit. It was great working with you, and we look forward to collaborating again!” to address the nursing shortage in Connecticut! He clearly defined Lost Knowledge and illustrated its profound impact on the profession of nursing within the clinical and academic settings. He has the ability to communicate this information to the audience by using concrete examples; and he provided viable strategies and solutions for healthcare facilities and academic institutions that can be implemented in the short and long term to positively address this severe workforce crisis. Dr. DeLong far exceeded our expectations!

Joan Evans Condon, Senior Vice President
VHA Mountain States, Mountain States Region

Testimonial – Wilder

Thank you for sharing your views on demographic threats and off shoring opportunities with the TXU board of directors and senior leadership team last week. …Your presentation added greatly to the overall strategy meeting.

John Wilder, Chairman & CEO
TXU Corp.

Testimonial – Shaffer2

It was an honor to have you as one of our keynote speakers and to learn from your thought-provoking presentation on knowledge retention strategies. …Our executives rated your session as one of the strongest based on content and ideas they could immediately employ.

Roger Shaffer, CEO, FCC Services
Farm Credit System

Testimonial – Proto

Dr. DeLong conducted a fabulous session at our first-ever Statewide Nursing Symposium to address the nursing shortage in Connecticut! He clearly defined Lost Knowledge and illustrated its profound impact on the profession of nursing within the clinical and academic settings. He has the ability to communicate this information to the audience by using concrete examples; and he provided viable strategies and solutions for healthcare facilities and academic institutions that can be implemented in the short and long term to positively address this severe workforce crisis. Dr. DeLong far exceeded our expectations!

Marcia B. Proto, Executive Director
Connecticut League for Nursing

Testimonial – Gray

Your presentation was a huge hit at our annual Leadership Conference. You gave us practical ideas we could work with immediately.

Curt Gray, SVP, Human Resources
BAE Systems

Testimonial – Shaffer

Our executives rated your keynote session on knowledge retention strategies as one of the strongest based on content and ideas they could immediately employ.

Roger Shaffer, CEO
FCC Services, Farm Credit System

Testimonial – Thresher

Your presentation was a great kick-off for our ACLI Executive Roundtable meeting. The topic was important to all the CEOs in the room.

Mark Thresher, President
Nationwide Financial