David Yarnold is the author and primary photographer of The Geography of Hope: Real-Life Stories of Optimists Mapping a Brighter Future, to be published in October, 2024 by Esri Press.
After a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism career, David helped the Environmental Defense Fund stake out its unique centrist approach and then engineered the lighting turnaround of the 107-year-old National Audubon Society as its CEO. A Harvard Business School case study characterized it as the “most significant remake of a large legacy nonprofit in decades.”
Under his leadership, Audubon doubled its funding to $150M, beating the goals of a $650M campaign. Membership increased 10X to two million people from across the politcal spectrum.
At Audubon, visionary staff leaders introduced him to geospatial mapping (GIS), inspiring David to travel from Nairobi to Prague to Bakersfield to tell the stories of people finding solutions to some of the world’s most challenging problems.
He consults with numerous organizations at the intersection of storytelling, fundraising and strategy.
David has a track record as an influential civic leader with a recognized commitment to equity, diversity and social justice. His bio and more information can be found at www.davidyarnold.com.
