David Beacom has an impressive track record of publishing and management success. In June 2018, he established David Beacom Strategies LLC to provide advisory services to associations and nonprofits looking to increase revenue, impact, and effectiveness.
Leadership
For more than 15 years, Beacom served the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) as Chief Content Officer (formerly Publisher) and Associate Executive Director. There, Beacom played the lead role in establishing a standout and award-winning book-publishing program—building NSTA’s reputation and substantially improving the group’s bottom line year after year. He also oversaw the launch of a new line of children’s trade books, published under the NSTA Kids imprint.
Beacom led the entire content development effort, including dramatic improvements to the visual appeal of the association’s membership journals. In the process, he helped develop cohesive branding standards across the organization. He also supervised an in-house production group that produced more than a million printed pieces annually. Through his efforts, NSTA eventually came to offer virtually all its content in print and multiple electronic formats—among them enhanced ebooks.
Marketing and Sales
Beacom also led association-wide marketing efforts—including research efforts such as focus groups and member surveys—and the recruitment and training of a sales force of 25 independent regional representatives.
Broad Experience
Previously, Beacom spent two decades with the National Geographic Society, where he was long the lead creative and editorial voice in education. In addition, Beacom managed the Society’s strategic relationship with the McGraw-Hill companies. In his later years at National Geographic, he moved from editorial to management—and effected a bottom-line turnaround for an educational group that had suffered heavy losses for several years running. Previously, Beacom worked for Encyclopaedia Britannica and IBM.
Reach and Reputation
Beacom has contacts and resources across the industry. A few years back, he served as (elected) President of the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) and, in that role, was part of the leadership team that negotiated AEP’s merger with the then-School Division of the Association of American Publishers (AAP). After the merger, he served on the AAP’s Learning Group Executive Council, including one year as co-chair.
Throughout his career, Beacom has built a reputation as a thoughtful leader, respectful of colleagues’ abilities and creative in helping overcome their professional challenges.