Daniel Student has been a cultural, environmental, and social sector leader for over twenty years and brings a unique cross-section of creative and business strategy to his work. He co-authored the Amazon instant bestseller Don’t Lead Alone: Think Like a System Act Like a Network, and Lead Like a Movement, published by Fast Company Press in 2023, and covered in Forbes, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and more. He currently serves as the Managing Director of Consulting for Potrero Group, who support innovative leaders and organizations making a difference in the world by providing rigorous strategy and business planning, organizational effectiveness, and nuanced search services to mission-driven organizations.
Daniel leads strategic planning, organizational development, new program development, and board development and search for Potrero Group. Notably, Daniel led Potrero Group’s engagement through Resources Legacy Fund to provide program management to the development of California Natural Resource Agency’s 30x30 strategy to conserve thirty percent of the state's lands and coastal waters by 2030.
Daniel's Potrero Group clients have included Aquarium of the Pacific, Audubon Delta, California League of Park Associations, Chattahoochee National Park Conservancy, Jefferson County Greenways Commission, Jefferson National Parks Association, Mattress Recycling Council, National Outdoor Leadership School, National Park Service, North Carolina State Parks, North Cascades Institute, Outdoor Afro, Peninsula Clean Energy, Piedmont Park Conservancy, Sempervirens Fund, Veggielution, Western National Parks Association, and Zion National Park Forever Project
Daniel is a content creator and a teams and communications specialist. He has also designed and led workshops on International Teams, Communication & Implicit Bias, Storytelling & Leadership, and Adaptive Leadership & Change Management. Daniel co-created a series of courses on Multinational Crosscultural Teams for UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education on Coursera, for which he authored and designed the curriculum. His previous leadership positions included serving as Executive Director for Plays & Players Theatre and Administrative Director for International Performing Arts for Youth. Daniel has also served as a theater director of over thirty plays, from which he draws facilitation and innovation skills to bring to his client work.
Daniel won the global 2020 PwC/U21 Innovation Challenge for his presentation on the future of education to prepare students for jobs in a green economy. He has also co-facilitated panels and workshops at the City Park Alliance’s Greater & Greener conference, Unite For Sight Global Health & Innovation Conference, Public Lands Alliance Conference, and the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally Conference. He has delivered keynote addresses across the country for organizations and agencies as varied as Local Indigent Care Network’s Annual Convening, South Carolina State Parks Leadership Conference, and Year Up’s Presidential Summit, and was the closing session co-keynote for the California League of Park Association’s Conference & Training
Daniel received his MBA at U.C. Davis Graduate School of Management (GSM), where he was the recipient of the Newberry Distinguished Fellowship Award for Leadership, the largest privately funded fellowship awarded to two Full-Time MBAs who exhibit long-term CEO potential, as well as the Brad Atwood Scholarship for Social Responsibility.