Engineering Community: Cooperating at scale, from Motown to Tik Tok…to ChatGPT

Abstract

The ability to cooperate at scale is what distinguishes homo sapiens from earlier human species and from all other life forms (ref: Yuval Noah Harari – author of Sapiens). The means of cooperation have evolved with time and technology and have enabled us to almost instantly build communities that span the entire globe. As an engineering student at the University of Michigan, David Tarver didn’t fully appreciate the central role that community-building would play in his career as an inventor, an engineering manager, an entrepreneur, and an economic development activist. In this talk, David will trace his evolution from electrical engineer to “community engineer.” He will describe his current efforts to “engineer” a community of urban innovators to improve the quality of life in cities.

Bio

David Tarver is an entrepreneur and community activist who currently serves as a lecturer in the U-M CoE Center for Entrepreneurship. He is also founder and board president of the Urban Entrepreneurship Initiative. 

In 1983, after several years at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Tarver launched Telecom Analysis Systems, Inc., a high-tech telecommunications instrumentation business. He sold that company twelve years later for $30 million and then, working as Group President for the buyer, built a telecommunications business with a market value in excess of $2 billion.

Tarver exited corporate leadership in 1999 to focus on community service. In 2001, he founded the Red Bank Education and Development Initiative to improve the academic performance and opportunities for children in Red Bank, NJ.  His service on civic and nonprofit boards includes the Board of Education in Red Bank, NJ; the U-M CoE National Advisory Committee; the National Commission on NAEP 12th Grade Assessment and Reporting; the U-M Alumni Association board of directors; and the Flint (Michigan) Receivership Transition Advisory Board.  David also endowed the Fred and Louise Tarver Scholarship Fund at the University of Michigan for incoming engineering students.

In 2012, Tarver published the book “Proving Ground: A Memoir,” which details his entrepreneurial journey. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.