Speaking

Dave Herpy

Dave Herpy is a dedicated public servant with a passion for creating positive, lasting change in communities through leadership in municipal, county, and university settings.

As the Extension Organizational Development Coordinator at NC State University, Dave leads the development and implementation of professional and leadership development programs for over 1,000 employees with the NC Cooperative Extension Service. Collaborating closely with Extension leadership, he empowers individuals and teams to grow, connect, and thrive.

With over 25 years of experience in summer camps—serving as a camp counselor, director, and state camping specialist—Dave understands the power of engagement, teamwork, and play. He has also spent two decades as a university instructor, graduate teaching associate, and adjunct lecturer, in addition to his extensive experience as a freelance facilitator, trainer, and writer.

Beyond his professional roles, Dave’s greatest joy comes from being a husband to his wife, Courtney, and a proud father to their four children. An avid endurance athlete, he finds fulfillment in training for and competing in triathlons and half marathons. He also enjoys volunteering in his community, especially coaching his youngest son’s soccer team.

Dave holds an A.A. from Lakeland Community College, a B.S. in Leisure Studies from Kent State University, and an M.S. in Recreation and Sport Science from Ohio University.

A passionate advocate for workplace culture and employee engagement, Dave brings energy, authenticity, and enthusiasm to every FISH! Philosophy experience. He believes in the transformative power of the FISH! Philosophy to create workplaces where people feel valued, connected, and inspired to do their best work. Dave looks forward to working with your team to enhance organizational culture, strengthen teamwork, and bring more joy to the workplace!

Testimonials

Dave is the real deal. He’s an inspirational servant leader who walks the talk and leads by example. When I worked at Summit Metro Parks, we created a collaboration to offer the first-ever paddling programs to park visitors that created value for both of our organizations. I’ve since partnered with many people across different industries, but Dave remains one of my very favorite collaborators, ever. Dave’s professionalism, positivity, tenacity, follow-through and leadership is among the best I’ve ever seen. Since our paddling program days, I’ve seen Dave evolve even further as a purpose-driven leader who makes massive positive impacts. He strives for nothing less than excellence and is constantly learning and sharing his knowledge through speaking, podcasts, blogs, social media, volunteering and connecting others. If anyone is looking for a leader, speaker, educator, writer or blogger, Dave is your man!

Christine Hockman
Catalyst for Positive Change | Coach | Entrepreneur | Speaker | Curator of Curiosity

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I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Dave Herpy in a speaking/facilitation role for over 10 years. I know that when I am in a session led by Dave, I can expect at least three things:

• Timely content
• Real-world examples and exercises that grow my skills and perspective on the topic
• A facilitator whose number one (and only) goal is to help me become better

When Dave speaks on building successful teams you can tell it comes from someone who has lived it. He has worked in environments where maintaining morale and getting people “on the same page” is incredibly difficult. His positivity is no doubt one of his greatest assets.

Something else I admire about Dave is his presence. When you are talking with Dave, you feel like you are the most important person in the world to him at that moment – because you ARE! I’ve been at several conferences with Dave, and I always smile when I see him interacting with participants because I know they will feel seen, heard, and understood by his full attention on them.

Finally, you can trust Dave because he is a person of complete integrity. Who you see facilitating is the same person you will see him being as a spouse and dad. That is rare indeed, and what makes Dave so impactful when he is facilitating to any group.

Jones Loflin
Professional Speaker and Coach

Articles, Blogs, Media, and Podcasts

Happiness Is a Journey – NC State University news, 2021
Start with Why: The Purpose of Camp – American Camp Association, 2020
Connecting Youth to the Outdoors with Dave Herpy – Let’s Talk Parks Podcast, 2020

Presentation Clips/Reels

The FISH! Philosophy – Experiential Learning at FISH! Trainer the Trainer

Social Media

Website: https://daveherpy.wordpress.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dherpy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dherpy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triathleader/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@daveherpy