David L. Buckner

President

David L. Buckner is the President and CEO of Bottom Line Training and Consulting Inc., a firm specializing in executive management development and business acumen training with a consultative focus on cultural integration and change management. Mr. Buckner acts as a trusted advisor and executive consultant to senior management in Fortune 500 companies with subject matter expertise in the areas of global finance, economic impact analysis, leadership development, and succession planning. His greatest contributions have come in the areas of finance, technology, and global presence.

Mr. Buckner’s unique approach to corporate governance and business engagement has been institutionalized in the Bottom Line Mini-MBA, a program he created at Columbia University and has delivered to thousands of executives and managers in more than 50 different countries and every region of the world. Recognized in Bloomberg Businessweek for its ability to deliver cost-effective critical education in challenging economic times, the Bottom Line Mini-MBA aligns senior management with fiduciary commitments, augments understanding and engagement, and bridges the gap between business practices and shareholder expectations. Clients include IBM, Disney, Samsung Electronics, AIG, Iron Mountain, Marriott International, New York Life Insurance, Coach, Proctor and Gamble, CBS, Zurich Insurance, Global Aerospace, Allied World Assurance, ESPN, Concentrix, Hilton International, Thomson Financial, Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Games and numerous other organizations.

Mr. Buckner joined the faculty of Columbia University in 1997 where he has received the Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching. He teaches graduate business courses in Organizational Psychology & Leadership at Columbia and undergraduate business courses at New York University. He received his Juris Doctorate from Brigham Young University, holds an MBA from Durham University, England, and holds a Master’s in International Relations from the Kennedy Center for International Studies at BYU.

Previously Mr. Buckner served as Senior Vice President at Chartwell Leisure, a hotel development company whose partners included George Soros, the Gordon Getty Trust, and Fisher Brothers. There, he directed the acquisition integration work of nearly 400 hotels, advised the board, served on the executive committee, and was responsible for transitioning operations internationally. Mr. Buckner has served as trusted advisor to board members at both public and private companies including IBM, Iron Mountain and Pierce Leahy, and has served as a board director at Praendex Corporation (PI Worldwide) and Peak Security Corporation. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater New York Council BSA, the Board of Managers for Thirty Lincoln Plaza, the Board of Advisors for The Kennedy Center for International Studies, and the Advisory Board for Brigham Young University Continuing Education.

For more than twenty years, Mr. Buckner has been a keynote speaker and featured educator at business conferences and conventions worldwide. He is recognized for his work as an economic analyst and commentator on the Fox Business Network and has been featured on ABC News, NBC, CBS, BBC One, Sky News, Fox News, and Inside Edition. Respected for his unique ability to demystify complex economic events, he made 39 appearances in a single year during the collapse of the markets and was invited to provide the economic keynote for the American Revival Tour in 2010. He was a featured presenter at the AMA Executive Summit with Peter Drucker, and a guest speaker at Stanford University, Columbia University, University of Texas, Brigham Young University, and other institutions of higher education.  

In his most recent book, Permission to Think, Mr. Buckner analyzes the factors that have led to the current economic climate and provides insights on how to reestablish economic fundamentals as a critical step in the re-building of our global economy. “Carelessly relying on precedent to justify irrational behavior simply because someone else must “know better” removes the very gift we have all been given - the ability to think. And now more than ever, readers not only have “permission,” but a mandate to do so.”

Mr. Buckner lives in New York City with his wife and five children.