David Palter is Vice President of Civic Impact at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), a business association representing Silicon Valley’s innovation economy.

Committed to inclusive economic growth, he and his team advance workforce development, workplace inclusion and belonging, and health advocacy.

The Civic Impact portfolio aligns employers with K–12 districts, community colleges, universities, and regional partners to build equitable, career connected pathways into high demand fields such as artificial intelligence, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. Through SVLG’s co-leadership of the Bay Area K–16 Collaborative, the region’s largest education consortium, the team embeds industry needs into student learning outcomes and scales employer driven models including project based and work based learning.

David also cofounded and leads SVLG’s ERG Consortium, a network of more than 350 employee resource group leaders across 55 companies and 12 industries, advancing shared learning, thought leadership, and inclusive workplace practices across Silicon Valley.

David serves on advisory boards for Evergreen Valley College, West Valley College, San José State University’s Lurie College of Education, and The Tech Interactive.

Prior to joining SVLG, he taught U.S. labor history, social movements, and globalization at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A fellow with the UC Center for New Racial Studies, his research examined race and standardized testing in California’s public schools.

He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in History from UC Santa Cruz and a B.A. in History from Oberlin College.