David leads BSR’s marketing and communications initiatives, working with a global team to amplify the organization’s mission and showcase its activities, impacts, and thought leadership to members, partners, and the wider business and policy community.
David previously worked for The B Team, a group of global business and civil society leaders working to catalyze a better way of doing business for the well-being of people and the planet. Throughout his 20-year career, he has worked with businesses and nonprofits in economic development, public health, and sustainability to define and communicate their purpose and impacts. .
He has built high-impact communications campaigns for a collaboration to improve maternal health in Zambia and Uganda, driven top-tier media coverage for a major economic development project in upstate New York, and helped strengthen parliamentary capacity and voter education efforts in South Africa and Zambia. He began his career as a newspaper reporter.
David earned his M.A. from The Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University and his B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from Michigan State University.
Insights From David Stearns
- Safeguarding Human Rights in High-Risk and Conflict-Affected Areas / April 14, 2026 / Audio
- Doing Business in an Era of Geopolitical Conflict / April 7, 2026 / Audio
- A Year of Uncertainty: Maintaining Progress Amidst a Battle of Ideas / February 13, 2025 / Audio
- A Conversation with Mario Abreu, Group VP, Sustainability, Ferrero / February 6, 2025 / Audio
- A Conversation with Darsh Myronidis, Group Director of Sustainability, Virgin / January 8, 2025 / Audio
- Reflections from Climate Week NYC: The Tension Between Pragmatism and Ambition / October 1, 2024 / Audio
- Navigating U.S. Election Uncertainty: A Call to Action for Sustainable Business / August 1, 2024 / Audio
- What the SBTi Battle Portends: The Decisive Decade Becomes the Dilemma Decade / June 17, 2024 / Audio
- Responsible and Sustainable AI / June 4, 2024 / Audio
- Regulating AI / June 4, 2024 / Audio
- The Human Rights Impacts of AI / June 4, 2024 / Audio
- Applying a Future Lens to AI / June 4, 2024 / Audio
- The Environmental Impacts of AI / June 4, 2024 / Audio
- Is the U.S. Ceding its Position as a Leader in Sustainability? / May 15, 2024 / Audio
- What’s at Stake for Sustainable Business in 2024 / February 1, 2024 / Audio
- The Impact on Climate and Nature with David Wei / November 28, 2023 / Audio
- Human Rights and the Future of Compliance with Dunstan Allison-Hope / November 28, 2023 / Audio
- Role of Boards and Governance with Christine Diamente / November 28, 2023 / Audio
- Unpacking Double Materiality with Beth Richmond / November 28, 2023 / Audio
- Leading with Ambition with Aron Cramer / November 28, 2023 / Audio
- The Impact Across Business Units with Adam Fishman / November 28, 2023 / Audio
- Today and Tomorrow: COVID-19 and the Increased Relevance of Corporate Sustainability / June 10, 2020 / Blog
- The BSR Conference Reimagined / May 20, 2020 / Blog
- The State of Sustainable Business 2019: Toward a Critical Decade / November 12, 2019 / Blog