Founder

David J. Byrd is the CEO/Founder of Byrd’s Eye, LLC, a consulting firm that offers government relations and political consulting, as well as life skills and executive coaching services. He is a Certified Professional Coach. 

Biography

Mr. Byrd founded his company in November 2003 and, after a five year return to public service, restarted his company in October 2011.

Mr. Byrd served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Prince George’s County, MD, from April 2006 to January 2011. Mr. Byrd’s responsibilities included governmental operations and public infrastructure, environmental services, economic development, and internal support services for Prince George’s County. 
 
Prior to his county government service, he served as Chief of Staff to the Maryland Lt. Governor. As Chief of Staff, Mr. Byrd directed the day-to-day operations of the Lt. Governor’s office and championed the Lt. Governor’s political, policy, and personnel agenda.

In 2002, Mr. Byrd was Associate Commissioner for External Affairs at the Social Security Administration, where he developed strategic relationships with national advocacy organizations and created the framework for the roll out of the President’s Initiative on Social Security Reform.  

Mr. Byrd spent seven years in New Jersey State Government, from 1994-2001, focusing primarily on economic development issues.  As Director of the Office of Small Business, Mr. Byrd achieved a historic milestone when he and his staff worked with state procurement officers to surpass the $1 billion mark in small business contracting.  Additionally, he led trade missions to South Africa, Namibia, and Ethiopia securing over $400 million in contract awards for New Jersey businesses.  

Earlier in his career, he worked at the Republican National Committee, recruiting and training candidates for county, state and federal elective office; the U.S. Department of Education, advising the assistant secretary on post-secondary education issues; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, implementing policy on children and family issues; and the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, as a researcher. 

Throughout his career, Mr. Byrd has received designations, awards accolades. In July 2010, he was selected by his fellow board members as Vice Chair of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors. In March 2010, the Prince George’s County Executive nominated him for Chairman of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In September 2009, BMoreNews.com and the Minority Business and Consumer Resource Directory gave him their “Champion for Minority Business Award” for his dedication and public service to the minority business community in the metropolitan region. 

Public service is a Byrd family tradition. A great-uncle was a butler at the White House during the Harding and Wilson Administrations.  Another uncle was the third African-American police chief in U.S. history and the first west of the Rocky Mountains.  An aunt was the first African-American elected to the Wyoming Legislature, and a distant cousin was the first woman elected Mayor of Washington, DC. His father once served as an aide to the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey.

David John Byrd was born in East Orange, NJ, and grew up in Jackson Township, NJ. In 1981, he completed his bachelor’s degree in English at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. He completed his master’s degree in corporate public relations at Rowan University (formerly known as Glassboro State College) in 1986. 

He is a former member of Toastmasters International and the Public Relations Society of America.

He and his wife, Jacquie, live in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.