I spent 13 years in Restaurant Management, Hotel Management and hospitality consulting, but I decided to leave the industry for a different type of challenge.

I have been an Air Traffic Controller for 25 years, which I find less stressful than managing a 4 star hotel. Contrary to popular belief, we are not the ground crew guiding your plane, but the professionals in the control tower.

I started ‘giving back’ to the Northern Hills Community Association (representing 60000 residents) in 2004 in pursuit of schools for my kids, and have been advocating for my community ever since. This includes schools, a health centre, transportation infrastructure, recreation facilities, eco-sensitive areas, planning and development, and government services. Around 2010, a Dreams Take Flight volunteer suggested that I should join and volunteer as I was a good fit for “making magical memories for special kids”. In 2013, I finally decided to join and have never looked back.

In 2016, I experienced a life change that brought forward a vision of changing the world one person at a time, so I have pursued new challenges with Dreams Take Flight including key roles, and demonstrated leadership at both a local level and national level.

I am known for being a leader, a relationship builder, personal brand builder, innovative, creative, social and inspirational. I am always open to a challenge, new ideas and expanding and revisiting existing knowledge. I am a strong team builder, speaker, and strategic planner. Being outspoken and passionate, and not afraid to share an opinion or stand up for the little guy, I am often pursued to run for politics but enjoy being behind the scenes and being a catalyst for change. Rather than being a 'glass half-full' or 'half-empty" guy, I want to know who drank my water??

I am currently the Government Relations and Advocacy Director, Planning Director, and Communications Director for the Northern Hills Community Association but have decided to take on new challenges when my term ends May 2023.

I am an Advisory Board volunteer with Dreams Take Flight Calgary as well as Communications Co-Director for Dreams Take Flight Canada, and take on other opportunities that come my way. My extensive experience can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hartwick/

I was the January 2021 Calgary Face of Community, and a recipient of the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of making a significant contribution to the province of Alberta.