About Us

Dave has been at the helm of LDR Leadership since 2018. He is primarily responsible for new training design, company direction, and overall management of all LDR programs. Dave successfully led LDR Leadership through a global pandemic, a succession plan, and a rebuild as well as exponential growth inside of LDR Leadership. Prior to joining LDR Leadership, Dave served 24 yrs. in the U.S. Army with the majority in the Special Operational Forces. Dave has a Master’s Degree in Leadership from Georgetown University, a Management Certificate from Tuck Business School at Dartmouth and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education (emphasis in Athletic Training) from West Virginia University. He is a board member for FT-Aviation and a committee member at WVU. Dave resides in Maryland with his two children and is a passionate alpine mountain climber.

Major (Retired) Vern Tubbs has over 38 years of experience leading organizations to achieve their objectives. Raised on a small dairy farm in Western Pennsylvania, he joined the Army and served as a Paratrooper and Ranger for 24 years, then rose through the ranks from Private to Sergeant First Class, and Infantry Officer. During his career, he served with the 82ndAirborne, 3rdInfantry Division, and the elite 75thRanger Regiment, and is a Veteran of multiple tours of duty in support of OperationIraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.After his military career, Vern served as an advisor and mentor for several special operations military leaders and operations around the globe. Vern earnedhis Master of Public Administration from Columbus State University, as well as numerousawards and decorations in the military andis also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), as well as a Firearms and Defensive Tactics Instructor. Vern enjoys time with his wife, Pamela, and two grown children, Holly and Sean.

Rich works closely alongside the CEO, Dave Taylor, on helping to develop new and improved processes and operations. As the portfolio manager of LDR Growth Partners, which he co-founded in 2011. He works closely with Dave on the strategic direction of the company’s mission, growth, and bringing additional value to clients of LDR Leadership. Prior to LDR, Rich had an exemplary career in the U.S. Army, serving as an Infantry officer for 3 years and in a Special Operations Command for 4 years. Rich is an ambassador and board member of Operation Pay It Forward as well as E210. Rich has a degree in Finance from Mercer University and a Global MBA from Duke University. Rich resides in Houston, Texas with his wife and son, and enjoys playing in adult tennis leagues and spending time outside in the wilderness.

David is a seasoned instructor with LDR Leadership. He specializes in board training and LDR’s 3-day Performance Management Training. David is an incredible talent and resource for LDR Leadership and is frequently collaborating with LDR Leadership’s senior leaders on curriculum improvement and creation. David was a city manager for over 30 years and the CEO of a private reverse osmosis/ wastewater company. He has served on many utility boards including an electric cooperative, a state-run water/sewer company, and several civic, cultural, medical, and community boards. David holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Florida. David lives in the Florida Keys with his wife, and 2 teenage boys. The family enjoys all water sports and traveling to exotic locales, Bali being the favorite!

Tim joined LDR Leadership in the fall of 2021 and is our newest instructor. Tim has over 30 years of local and state Public Safety leadership experience and esteemed civic service as City Council and recently won his re-election. In addition, he serves on several boards. Tim has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Naval Postgraduate Homeland Security Executives School, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Tim currently resides in South Carolina.

Byron Bagby is Managing Partner of BMB Strategies, Inc., an independent consulting firm providing services inexecutive leadership development and coaching, strategy developmentand governance.He retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of Major General.General Bagby’s Army career included service as:Commandant of Joint Forces Staff College; Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Military Cooperation in Cairo, Egypt, managing security cooperation programs valued at $1.3 billion annually; and Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Army, Europe, directing allthe activities of over 1,000 people in 30 locations, in nine countries.He currently serveson the Advisory Board for Ryan Consulting Group(as Chair); on the Boardof Directors of Management Support Technology, Inc.; and the Boards of Trustees of William Woods College and Columbia Southern University. From 2012-17, he served on the Board of Trustees of Westminster College (MO).General Bagby has earned many decorations and honors, including: two Army Distinguished Service Medals; the Ranger Tab; the Master Parachutist Badge; the Westminster College Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award; and has been inducted into the Fulton Public Schools Hall of Fame.He is a life member of The Veterans of Foreign Wars and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.He holds membership in the National Association of Corporate Directors and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.He earned his B.A. in Economics from Westminster College and his M.Ed. in Adult Education from UNC Chapel Hill.Byron and his wife, Monique Hale Bagby live in Alexandria, VA. He has two adult children.

Gerry joined LDR Leadership in 2021 and is primarily focused on Board Governance. Gerry is a skilled lecturer of business law and ethics at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Gerry’s career includes more than 30 years as a corporate lawyer at a private law firm, and at General Motors where he served in various senior international executive positions, including General Counsel and Director of Government Relations for the Middle East and Africa, and General Counsel of Southeast Asia Operations. In these roles he was responsible for all legal matters including government compliance, corporate governance, and joint ventures. Gerry holds a JD from Georgetown University, an MBA in finance from Clark-Atlanta University, and a BA from Indiana University. He currently serves on the board of trustees at Stillman College, Alabama, as well as the Detroit Institute of Art.

Lauren focuses on curriculum writing and development for LDR Leadership. He primarily instructs LDR Leadership’s “Developing Effective Boardroom Decision Making” and “Increasing Influence and Building Board Consensus “and Lauren is always expanding his course rolodex. Lauren is the co-founder of LDR Growth Partners and the portfolio manager for LDR Advisory Services. Prior to LDR Leadership, Lauren practiced as an attorney with Baker Botts LLP. He served in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger-qualified infantry officer with a combat deployment to Iraq where he was awarded a Bronze Star. Lauren has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an undergraduate degree from West Point. Lauren resides in Houston with his two sons and wife. In his free time Lauren enjoys taking his family to the zoo and the local art museums.

JD is a Co-founder and Partner at LDR Growth Partners and his focus surrounds negotiating complex strategic partnerships, both domestically and internationally. Most recently, JD successfully sourced and led LDR’s invested partnership with one of the world’s most well-respected value investing firms, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited. A former US Special Operations Officer and Ground Force Commander, JD led strike forces during combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. JD recently led LDR’s sponsored humanitarian efforts in support of both Afghan emergency evacuation and Ukrainian medical support and evacuation. JD is a public speaker, serves as a board director for both Operation Healing Forces and No One Left Behind, and advisor to NuFabrx, an award winning “HealthWear” company. JD resides in Annapolis, Maryland and his interests outside of LDR include family, holistic health & fitness, and all things outdoors.

James “Bo” Todd was born in Texas in 1962. Upon completion of high school, he entered the US Army in February 1982 and served until October 2003. He served as an Infantryman until his selection for Special Forces. As a Special Forces Operator and defense contractor, Bo has provided training for US and Partner Nation Special Forces, Commando/Infantry troops and various US Federal Agencies spanning twenty-five nations including multiple combat and contingency operations.
After retiring from the military, Bo served in a variety of leadership positions in the private sector for both privately-held and publicly traded companies. These positions include Director, Chief Operating Officer, General Manager, and President. He has participated in mergers & acquisitions, transitioning and integrating companies into publicly held firms and conducted business development in high-risk areas.
Bo holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Liberal Arts and speaks German and Spanish.

Brenda has led a successful career spanning over 35 years, gaining experience in all facets of Human Resources. Her diverse experience extends across industries such as beverage manufacturing at Anheuser-Busch, big-box retail at Cabela’s, and the electric cooperative utility industry at High West Energy and Union Power Cooperative. For nearly 20 years, Brenda served in senior management positions. Additionally, she spent 7 years imparting her wisdom as a teacher at the post-high school level. Brenda retired from the electric utility industry in 2023 but her zeal for training and instruction didn’t end there. She continued to pursue her passion by working as a consultant and instructor for LDR Leadership. Over the last decade, Brenda has been an active participant in her North Carolina community. She has been involved in initiatives to promote workforce training and development by partnering with Union County Public Schools Career; Technical Education and the Union County Chamber of Commerce. A true advocate of servant-leadership, Brenda is an active participant in both her local and state chapters of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She has served in various roles for the Union County Human Resources Association Board of Directors and is currently the President-Elect of the Chapter. Brenda also facilitates the SHRM Certification Program, assisting others in obtaining their SHRM certification credentials. Additionally, she is a member of the NCSHRM State Conference Committee. In terms of qualifications, Brenda currently holds her SHRM-SCP (SHRM) and SPHR (HRCI) certifications, and is authorized to facilitate SHRM Certification courses. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO and her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Denver in Denver, CO. In her spare time, Brenda enjoys working in the yard, spending time with friends and family, and traveling. Brenda currently resides in Monroe, North Carolina with her four-legged feline companions.

Dan Tubbs is a lifelong educator, committing himself to the training and equipping of students to grow as whole persons. While engaging in this career, Dan also taught in higher education, interned at the Heritage Foundation, coached basketball, and led two K-12 schools as the Head of School for fifteen years. Dan created weLead Growth and Development to continue this trajectory of training and equipping others to grow and develop their leadership traits, skills, and habits to cultivate a flourishing and effective organizational culture. Dan’s engaging and interactive presentation of the LDR Leadership’s material is borne from his years of leadership experience at many levels, ensuring every learner comes away from the training with a better understanding and application of these timeless leadership principles.

Leilani Todd has over 35 years of experience in multiple facets of finance, operations, human resources, and safety. She advises leaders on clarifying strategy, organizational development and design needs, adapting culture, and navigating change. Leilani held various roles with the American rural electric cooperatives, serving in the positions of Director of Finance, Vice President of Human Resources and Safety, and CEO/General Manager. Prior to serving the electric cooperatives, she worked in the healthcare arena for public and privately-owned healthcare facilities. In addition, Leilani served the rural electric cooperatives on the executive advisory council for the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD), chaired the statewide consortia for workforce development in Virginia, and was elected for several leadership roles in human resource organizations; including the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Human Resources Advisory Board. Leilani holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Northwest Missouri State University and attained her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification in 2006. Since 2019, she has facilitated nationwide supervisory and management development courses for NRECA. Leilani and her husband, Kevin, live in Southern lowa, where they enjoy being empty-nesters and spending time with family.