David La Piana is founder of La Piana Associates, a consulting firm specializing in strategic issues for nonprofit organizations. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco’s Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management, and teaches in the MBA program at the Walter A. Haas Business School at the University of California, Berkeley. Recognized as a leading expert on partnerships among nonprofit organizations, Mr. La Piana has worked extensively with nonprofits in health, human services, the environment, and the arts. He is the author of Nonprofit Mergers (1994) and Beyond Collaboration: Strategic Restructuring for Nonprofit Organizations (1997). He received his Master of Public Administration in nonprofit organization management from the University of San Francisco. Mr. La Piana has received awards for his work from both the California State Assembly and Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris. Since 1979 he has worked as a nonprofit staff member, executive director, trainer, consultant and board member. He has held senior management positions with the YMCA, The International Institute and East Bay Agency for Children, a multifaceted human services agency which grew tenfold under his leadership. In 1997 he initiated Strategic Solutions to provide strategic restructuring assistance to nonprofits in their communities.