David Zach is one of the few professionally trained futurists on this planet, having earned a master's degree in Studies of the Future from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Of course that was way back in 1981, so it's pretty much a history degree by now.

As a futurist, Dave's worked with over 1,400 associations, corporations and colleges offering insights on the personal and professional impact of strategic trends. In other words, he gives funny, fascinating and thought-provoking talks on the strategic trends and traditions with technology, economics, business, education, demographics and society.

In his work, he's not stuck on the future and is always searching for old ideas that stand the test of time. Instead of telling people what to think about the future, he wants to help them understand how to think about the future. He thinks fascinating forecasts can be fun, but thoughtful, long-term choices are better.

Dave's had two real jobs: one at Johnson Controls and the other at Northwestern Mutual, both in the roles of environmental scanning and strategic planning. He also taught Future Studies in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Since 1987, he mostly sits and read everything he can, studying both trends and traditions and trying to identify their implications. He gives talks about 50 times a year and really wishes he would write more. He is the author of two books, so far. His latest book, Worth Remembering: the future value of old ideas, was published in 2008.

Dave is on the board of the American Chesterton Society and the board of the American Institute of Architects (2011-13). Past activities include: Wisconsin Small Business Development Center Advisory Council, Future Milwaukee Advisory Board, Community Advisory Board for public radio station WUWM, board member of eInnovate, member of the downtown Rotary Club of Milwaukee, chairman of the Goals for Greater Milwaukee 2000 Education Committee and co-chair for Design Milwaukee.

• An Owner's Guide to the Future - Do we really want vacuum cleaners that can argue with us? Will the automation of health care lead to the automation of caring? And, how come teenagers can pay attention to ten things at once and still be, like, bored? David Zach asks some funny questions. In his thought-provoking tour of modern times he'll offer some useful answers that will get people talking. With a friendly style and a little bit of Midwestern charm, he'll help you face the future with a solid sense of hope and inspiration.
  
  
• Innovative Futures: Trends with Innovation and Design - David Zach offers insights on the art and science of innovation and design: the very lifeblood of 21st century economics. Today has been called the Age of Design, with innovation driving growth and change, but there's also a danger that it's the Age of the Technician where more and more people are not allowed to be creative. How we promote, discuss and embrace design, innovation and the entrepreneurial mindset will decide the sort of future we'll really have. Using the latest trends with nanotechnology, communications, information, logistics, architecture and even teenagers as a backdrop, Dave divides his talk into Innovation Pro and Innovation Con to examine what works to build the Age of Design and what doesn't.
  
  
• Strategic Futures - Whether you're an owner, a free agent, a manager or just somebody who likes to think a lot about the future, you need to pay attention to both the bottom line and the horizon. With a focus on the practical and the possible, this is a down-to-earth look at key strategic trends: from the rise of intelligent money to the fall of national borders, from virtual workplaces to virtually unlimited information, and even from the automation of healthcare to the automation of things you've never believed possible. If you need to do some deep thinking about choices, forecasts and how you'll navigate tomorrow, let internationally renowned futurist David Zach be your guide.
  
  
• Designs on the Future: Trends, Traditions & Choices - Survival means being able to hold on to the best of the past and making sure we learn from the lessons of history. Not all change is progress and not all tradition is outdated. Survival and progress depends on our ability to choose between change and tradition. This presentation is a fascinating (and slightly irreverent) look at the trends and traditions affecting design and the roles that architects, designers and planners can have over the next ten years.