David Givens brings more than 30 years of experience in hospitality, food service, operations, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship to his role as a Business Advisor with the Central Virginia SBDC. David has decades of experience working in high-volume operations with industry leaders such as Darden Restaurants and Brinker International. His career also includes leadership roles with Hilton and Marriott, including Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director. Those roles gave him deep experience managing teams, controlling costs, maintaining quality, and delivering consistent results in demanding service environments. He also helped develop and lead sustainable farm-to-table food service at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.

David later brought that operational experience into community economic development, helping develop and launch BEACON Kitchen, BEACON Schoolbitez, and BEACON Flavor Catering through New Hill Development Corporation. His work has included supporting entrepreneurs, developing new business concepts, building food-service systems, mentoring emerging leaders, and turning ideas into practical, scalable operations.