Dr. David Griffin

Dr. David Griffin is the Assistant Chief of Administration in Charleston, South Carolina. He was the operator of the first due engine on June 18, 2007, when nine of his fellow firefighters perished. He has come through the ranks in Operations in every uniformed position from Firefighter to Assistant Chief during his 21-year career in Charleston. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from The Citadel, a Master’s Degree in Executive Fire Service Leadership, and a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership and Development. He is the author of the bestseller In Honor of The Charleston 9: A Study of Change Following Tragedy, among three other books. Griffin is also an international speaker and instructor, a certified Chief Fire Officer (CFO) and Chief Training Officer (CTO) with The Center for Public Safety Excellence, an IFSAC/Pro Board certified Fire Officer IV, a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program (EFO) from the National Fire Academy, a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Executive Education program: Senior Executives in State and Local Government, a graduate of the Psychology of Leadership program from Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson College of Business, a graduate of Yale University’s School of Management Values Based Leadership program, and a graduate of the Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI) through the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). In 2013, David began speaking on leadership, personal/professional growth, organizational development, resiliency, spousal support, and behavioral health. Since then, he has hosted seminars with organizations from all 50 states in the United States, plus Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Canada and Mexico at over 2500 organizations in three different languages to more than 1 million attendees. These organizations include fire departments, police departments, military installations, universities, conferences, private industry organizations, law firms, business corporations, manufacturers, as well as charity events.