David Vance is the executive director of the Center for Talent Reporting, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation and implementation of standards for human capital measurement, reporting, and management. He is the former President of Caterpillar University, which he founded in 2001. Until his retirement in January 2007, he was responsible for ensuring that the right education, training, and leadership were provided to achieve corporate goals and efficiently meet the learning needs of Caterpillar and dealer employees. Prior to this position, Dave was chief economist and head of the business intelligence group at Caterpillar, responsible for economic outlooks, sales forecasts, market research, competitive analysis, and business information systems.

Dave received a bachelor of science degree in political science from M.I.T. in 1974, a master of science degree in business administration from Indiana University (South Bend) in 1983, and a PhD in economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1988. Dave was named 2006 Chief Learning Officer (CLO) of the Year by Chief Learning Officer magazine. He also was named 2004 Corporate University Leader of the Year by the International Quality and Productivity Center in their annual CUBIC (Corporate University Best in Class) Awards. Dave is a frequent speaker at learning conferences and association meetings. He conducts workshops on managing the learning function, and teaches in the PhD programs at Bellevue University and the University of Southern Mississippi. He also is a trustee and lead independent director for State Farm Mutual Funds. His first book, The Business of Learning: How to Manage Corporate Training to Improve Your Bottom Line, was published in October 2010.