Talent Manager, Office of Development
David Voss started working at Stanford the day after he received his undergraduate degree here. That was 15 positions and more than 28 years ago. It’s no wonder he also met his wife here!
David feels lucky to have had managers who challenged him to move into new positions, even if it left a vacancy in their staff that they had to fill.
“The culture is very supportive and collaborative. This often surprises people who think of Stanford as a very competitive place, but it is really the nature of this elite university,” says David. "We are always competing with ourselves to excel and those around us are pushing us and helping us to realize that dream."
He credits internal training programs, conferences and Leadership@Stanford as having a big impact on his career growth.
"Being exposed to people, engaging them and building a network is valuable in managing your career at Stanford and is central to work in development," he says. "You are in the right place at the right time more often than you might imagine and the key is taking advantage of the situation by asking people about what they do, being genuinely interested in learning new things and always building new relationships."
One of his most interesting jobs was working as a manager of the Hoover House. His tenure at the President’s residence exposed him to Nobel laureates, famous artists, CEOs, presidents and Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
He has come a long way from being a first-generation college student who grew up in a small town in Nebraska.
“It sounds corny, but as a student, Stanford literally opened my eyes to the world and all it had to offer.”
