David LaMotte’s dense speaking and workshop calendar has included keynoting conferences across the United States, in India, Australia, Germany and at the Scottish Parliament. He has presented at the PC(USA) Mission to the United Nations and led workshops at dozens of colleges and universities. He is booked as a keynote speaker at the opening plenary of the 2025 Rotary International Convention, for an expected audience of 30,000.
David’s most recent TEDx talk, Why Heroes Don’t Change the World, was selected as an Editor’s Pick by the international TED organization. The talk, based on his book, You Are Changing the World Whether You Like it or Not, offers helpful perspective on the impact each of us has on the world around us, how large-scale change happens, and how it doesn’t. Though the dominant culture sells the narrative that it is heroes who change the world, David makes the case that hero stories can be misleading, and sometimes strangely disempowering. We are far from powerless, but the shape of that power is in community.
LaMotte is the author of four books, including two children’s books. He holds a master’s degree in International Studies, Peace, and Conflict Resolution from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, where he studied on a Rotary Peace Fellowship. He is the former Clerk (Chair) of the AFSC Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Committee, and his books have been used as university textbooks across the United States and in Australia.
Speaking to organizations, David’s presentations can focus on:
• Burnout, especially in helping professions
• Team cohesion, morale
• Change Management
• Social impact, peace and justice work
David is currently accepting select corporate speaking opportunities in 2025 and after. To learn more, or inquire about booking David, please get in touch through this contact form.
B-Corps, Non-profit agencies, and organizations with a sense of mission in their work may particularly benefit from David’s work. To get a sense of David’s insights, style, and humor, please check out his most recent (2024) TEDx talk:
