David Saltzman

David Saltzman is a Co-Founder of Atria and Chair of the Board of nonprofit Atria Research and Global Health Institute. He holds a bachelor’s from Brown University and a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University. Since graduating, Brown University awarded David an honorary doctorate and the John Hope Award for distinguished alumni, and Columbia University honored him with its Global Leadership Award. Time magazine named him one of its 100 Innovators in 2001.

David has a storied career in driving impact. He joined Atria after four years as a founding partner at Two Sigma Impact. Prior to that, he co-founded the Robin Hood Foundation where he served as Executive Director for 27 years before joining their board of directors in 2017. As Executive Director, David helped grow Robin Hood from an all-volunteer effort to one of the nation’s most respected philanthropic institutions, raising more than $4 billion to fight poverty in New York City. His wealth of knowledge applying investment principles to charitable giving led to Robin Hood’s pioneering model of accountable philanthropy being taught at Harvard Business School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

David feels fortunate to serve on the board of directors of several high-performing nonprofit organizations, including Zearn, iMentor, the Relay Graduate School of Education, and the Milton Hershey School. Mayor Bloomberg appointed him to the boards of the Commission for Economic Opportunity, the Trust for Governors Island, and the Young Men’s Initiative. 

Over the years, he has provided consulting services for several terrific organizations, including Sesame Street, the Reform Alliance, and PURE—the World Surf League’s new effort to protect oceans. David brings a true passion for growing organizations that make the world a better place, and is thrilled to continue this at Atria.