David Hartwell Sawyer

1951 - 2022

David Hartwell Sawyer
July 28, 1951 - November 25, 2022
Portland, Oregon - David Sawyer, a thought leader in management and leadership, an innovative consultant to organizations of all kinds, and a coach and mentor to countless established and emerging leaders, has died. He was 71.
Born in Paris, Kentucky, David Sawyer died in a hospital in Portland, Oregon on Friday, November 25. The cause of death was heart failure, after a year of declining health.
David Sawyer was president of Context, a consulting firm with practice areas in strategy, leadership, and culture, and a cofounder of Converge, a network of consultants who facilitate the formation of social impact networks. Active across sectors throughout his life, Sawyer played key roles in a variety of fields, including sustainable agriculture, education reform, national service, social entrepreneurship, venture philanthropy, the emerging green economy,
and multisector collaboration.
For a decade, David directed leadership and service-learning programs at Berea College, receiving the nation's highest award for voluntary service from the White House and The Servant Leader Award from the National Youth Leadership Council. David was an advisor to Honda's innovative Eagle Rock School, designed Save the Children's Appalachian Teen Leadership Program, and traveled to India to meet with the Dalai Lama to help design a Tibetan refugee education program at Berea College. Sawyer worked with the Clinton administration to help launch the nation's Americorps program, facilitated The New Generation Training Program and other national leadership programs, and in 1997 led a delegation to the Presidents' Summit for America's Future.
Sawyer spent four years working with energy company BP, coaching senior leaders, designing the cultural dimension of the BP/ARCO merger, and facilitating a conference on global climate change in Washington, DC. He helped develop the Denali Initiative, a national fellowship program for social entrepreneurs, and served as executive-in-residence for the Kauffman Foundation, promoting citizen engagement and civic innovation. David served as the first Executive Director of Social Venture Partners Portland and was Chief Culture Officer for gDiapers, a green business making the world's first flushable/compostable diaper. He was also a Senior Network Practitioner with the Monitor Institute by Deloitte.
Though Sawyer's professional accomplishments are vast, his lasting impact lives in his deep love for his people, his community, and our planet. Sawyer was a dedicated and generous friend to many. He was clever and wise, fun and funny, deeply serious, and eternally committed to creating positive futures for all. His life's work could perhaps be summed up by a simple tattoo on his arm that read: "maximum positive impact."
David Sawyer is survived by his brother, Stephen Shelby Sawyer, of Versailles, Kentucky.