David Schaarsmith, AICP, LEED AP

Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President, Board Director

Dave is a dedicated leader with over 20 years of client growth and operational excellence in the A/E consulting industry. With a background in master planning, Dave brings a history of emphasizing strategic thinking and positive leadership to develop staff and drive growth.

Dave transitioned to COO in June 2020 after serving as LDG’s Vice President of Infrastructure. As VP, he was responsible for the overall performance of the group, ensuring that goals for sales, profitability and sustainable growth were met. Dave worked to set strategic direction and build collaboration within the departments of this new group while managing group financials and operational processes to achieve a successful 2019. In 2020, Dave oversaw the expansion of the infrastructure division to include Geotechnical and Planning operations.

As COO, Dave is responsible for providing leadership by working with the Board and upper management to establish short and long-range goals, strategies, plans, and policies. He also is responsible for the implementation of all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to technical services and operations of the firm.  In his tenure as COO, Dave has overseen LDG’s operations through a period of significant growth, including the formation of a Federal practice, expansion into three new states, and nearly doubling annual revenue achievement.

David is a certified planner and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with Environmental Sciences from the University of Notre Dame, and master’s degrees in Resource Management from Antioch New England Graduate School and Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer and participated in Leadership Development Initiative XV at Leadership Pittsburgh and the Senior Executive Institute with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).