David Plumb

David Plumb is a mediator, facilitator, trainer, and researcher with experience managing complex development and public policy issues in a variety of environments, including the United States, Nigeria’s Niger Delta, and Chile. Based in Portland, Maine, David is CBI’s Director for Latin America and also co-leads the organization’s Corporate Community Engagement practice. Prior to CBI, he directed the Sustainable Business Practice at Search for Common Ground. He also spent eight years working as a financial journalist and correspondent, mostly for Bloomberg News. 

Areas of Focus

A primary focus of David’s work is assisting communities, companies, and authorities to interact more constructively and engage in productive dialogue. He designs and facilitates multi-stakeholder processes that can provide a credible space for addressing historical grievances and mistrust, as well as exploring creative solutions for the future.  David also designs and implements participatory processes that give citizens and key stakeholders an active voice in making smarter policy decisions, assisting governments to develop new public policies with wider public support. He has particular expertise in energy, environment, and international development issues. In addition, David has assisted NGOs and industry groups to negotiate environmental and social standards for key commodities such as farmed fish. As a trainer, David has worked with community-based organizations to strengthen their capacity to engage in dialogue, with government regulators who need assistance in managing complex public participation processes, and with multinational corporations needed to improve globally their community relations and social performance.  

Exemplary Projects

• Maine Climate Council: Led the facilitation of the Maine Climate Council as it developed the state’s award-winning Maine Won’t Wait climate action plan
• Offshore Wind: Led facilitation of the Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap, as well as the federal stakeholder process to identify Wind Energy Areas in the Gulf of Maine
• Energia 2050: Developed Chile’s new long-term energy policy
• Chile’s new Voluntary Pre-Investment Agreements: Created a standard for community-company interaction on investment projects
• Aquaculture Dialogues: Negotiating environmental and social standards for salmon and other farmed fish

Clients

The following is a partial list of clients:

International Organizations

• International Finance Corp.
• Inter-American Development Bank
• UN Development Programme
• DEG
• GIZ

US Public Entities

• US Environmental Protection Agency
• NOAA
• State of Maine
• State of Vermont
• Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC)
• New England Fisheries Management Council
• City of South Portland
• Maine Connectivity Authority

Chilean Public Entities

• Environment Ministry of Chile, Environmental Review Agency
• Energy Ministry of Chile
• National Development Corporation of Chile
• Sustainability and Climate Change Agency of Chile

Nonprofit Organizations

• WWF
• Aquaculture Stewardship Council
• World Resources Institute
• Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School
• Flora Family Foundation 

Companies

• Lundin Mining
• Shell
• Chevron
• Valhalla Energy
• Pfizer
• Colbun
• BHP Billiton

Education and Affiliations

David Plumb holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in Politics and Latin American Studies. He also studied at Chile’s Catholic University with a Fulbright Scholarship.