Who is David J. Furness?

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Lieutenant General (Ret.) David J. Furness is a highly accomplished executive with a distinguished record of leadership and accomplishments in the United Sates Marine Corps. He brings invaluable expertise in strategic planning, program management, and government affairs.

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Senior Military Leader | Board Candidate
Defense Consultant

With a distinguished record of translating vision into strategy, policy, and execution. Inspiring leader and mentor known for empowering individual potential and capturing synergies within groups. Demonstrated skills in strategic planning, team building, directing operations, and achieving optimal results.

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Throughout his tenure, he built an impeccable reputation as a collaborator who seeks diverse points of view and can synthesize complex information and data to drive decision-making to achieve consensus among divergent perspectives.

David is known for inspiring individuals and teams to achieve optimal results in highpressure, dynamic environments. He has managed organizations up to 17,000, and assets up to $2.3B.

Most recently, LtGen(ret) Furness served as Chief Operations Officer of the Marine Corps, holding the title of Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations at the Pentagon; representing the Commandant to the Joint Staff, Secretary of Defense and Congress. In this role he was responsible for synchronizing operations and global deployments of 200,000 Marines.

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Managed annual budgets up to $45M, teams up to 17,000 and assets up to $2.3B.

Lifelong learner who thrives on educating, coaching, and mentoring next-generation leaders.

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In his previous role as Commanding General of Second Marine Division, David was entrusted to carry out world-wide security obligations and engagements with his Marines and sailors.

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As a division commander, he managed over $2B in assets and executed the largest Marine Corps training exercise in over 40 years.

He also pioneered a peer-to-peer personal counseling program that reduced suicide and suicide attempts by 66% in just 18 months.

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Stationed in Djibouti from 2017 to 2018, LtGen (ret) Furness commanded a multinational joint task force focused on counterterrorism, regional security, and strategic relationships across 11 countries.

He introduced process improvements which brought $2M in monthly savings and elevated aircraft utilization rates to 90% which delivered another $12.78M in savings

In his prior role as Legislative Assistant to the Commandant, he served as Marine Corps liaison to both Chambers of Congress, advocating for funding while navigating new Budget Control Act restrictions and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

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Leverages strong business acumen to repeatedly turn around underperforming teams

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Inspire individuals and teams to excel beyond perceived limitations. A collaborator who seeks diverse input and synthesizes complex information to identify relevant data for decision making, persuasion, and consensus building.

Experienced in converting emerging technologies into validated requirements while navigating the defense acquisition and budgetary process.

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Personal decorations

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• Defense Superior Service Medal
• Legion of Merit (3)
• Bronze Star Medal with combat distinguishing device (2)
• Combat Action Ribbon (3)
• Meritorious Service Medal (2)
• Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2)
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

Education

• Master’s Degree of National Security Studies – National War College, National Defense University
• Master’s Degree of Military Studies – Command and Staff College, Marine Corps University
• Bachelor of Arts in History, Honors in History – Virginia Military Institute

Professional Development

• Executive Leadership Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Leadership at the Peak
• Executive Leadership Program, University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School
• Executives in National Security Program, Harvard University
• Extensive Military Education (Available upon request)