IMPACT CONSULTING
WE HELP LEADERS LEAD
GREAT LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT CONSISTENTLY MAKING GOOD DECISIONS. HOW DO LEADERS DO THIS? THEY SURROUND THEMSELVES WITH TALENTED PEOPLE, ASK SMART, RELEVANT QUESTIONS, AND ARM THEMSELVES WITH ACCURATE, RELIABLE DATA.
At Laduma Strategy, we leverage our experience leading successful enterprises to help you and your team ask the right questions, gather the right data, and communicate with stakeholders in a way that makes sense.
Based on a conversation we can quickly determine whether we are equipped to help. If we are, we will present you with a detailed scope of work that outlines our proposed plan of action. With your feedback, we may revise the scope. Once we’re in full agreement, we get to work. Depending on the nature of the project, we may bring in some additional support to lend a particular subject matter expertise or perspective. Our ultimate goal is to help you build the future you want for your organization, foundation, or business.
EXPERIENCE
Liberty's Kitchen, CEO
Cafe Reconcile, Director of Development
WK Kellogg Foundation, Community Leadership Network Fellow
St. Bernard Project, Community Engagement Coordinator/AmeriCorps VISTA
St. Sebastian's School, Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid/Teacher of English
EDUCATION
Middlebury College, Master of Arts in English Literature
College of the Holy Cross, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature
MEDIA MENTIONS
ABOUT OUR FOUNDER
David Emond, Founder and Principal of Laduma Strategy, has spent more than a decade working to achieve a more equitable ecosystem of opportunity in New Orleans. Building on twenty years of leadership in the youth/workforce development and education sectors, he founded Laduma Strategy to support organizations seeking transformative impact in New Orleans and beyond.
David previously served as CEO of Liberty’s Kitchen, a nationally recognized youth development organization which uses foodservice-based businesses as a foundation for its social impact programs in workforce training, leadership development, and support of healthy lifestyles. During his tenure, Liberty’s Kitchen experienced dramatic growth, raising more than $9 million in operating and growth capital and launching three new earned revenue ventures, resulting in improved financial stability as well as greater opportunities for youth participants to build skills and find career pathways. The organization's Youth Development Program achieved a 92% job placement rate for workforce training program graduates, with 70% still employed at the critical 12-month benchmark. Four graduates went on to start successful business. David also led the effort to reshape the organization’s mission, vision, and values to prioritize youth leadership and racial equity.
Cultivating relationships at the local, state, and federal levels, David led the effort to leverage previously untapped USDA SNAP Employment and Training funds for Louisiana, resulting in an annual multimillion dollar capital infusion supporting workforce development programs across the state.
From 2014-17, David served as an inaugural fellow in the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network, where he worked with emerging and established leaders in New Orleans and nationally to create conditions that help children and families thrive. He was recognized as the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation’s 2017 Archie Casbarian Humanitarian Award recipient for his efforts in the community.
David currently serves as board president of the NOLA Project, a small, ensemble-based theatre company in New Orleans. David holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and a Master of Arts from Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT. In his free time he enjoys travel, theatre, fitness, and supporting efforts to grow and develop a community that works for all.