Gratitude. It’s what keeps David Irving going every day. Well, that and math.

“I try to base everything on gratitude. I am truly grateful because I am so blessed and have been given so much; and I am grateful to give some of that back, whether it’s time or money. I try to do it with a smile. I have specific areas of focus and it’s all tied back to education.”

More than 20 years ago, David immersed himself in the education field, learning through his jobs at The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Delta Education. Then, David founded HigherSchool Publishing Company and published The Parent's Guide to Better Grades, 7 Steps to Improve Your Child's Academic Performance. After that, David started HigherSchool Tutoring and then, created HigherSchool Instructional Services. He launched CollegeReadyMath in 2016 and subsequently retained ownership of it after selling HigherSchool in 2020.  CollegeReadyMath focuses on algebra and getting students ready for college, which David believes to be his life’s mission. “I really, really love what I do and I feel that what we do will eventually make a huge difference in the lives of a lot of students.”

However, his venture in math started in a surprising way…

David, who was successful in financial sales and working for a Chicago investment firm, was invited to volunteer at an inner city Chicago school to be “Principal for the Day.” It changed him, and he ended up going back to that same school every year for six years.

“It was a real eye opener to see a school that’s over 100 years old … with missing windows in the dead of winter and kids who came to school with the same clothes they had on the day before. Most of them weren’t even getting a quality education because of the high teacher turnover in the school, which ultimately contributed to inconsistent instructional quality.”

After that experience and more than 25 years in financial sales and trading, he made the decision to commit the remainder of his career to improving the academic opportunities available to economically disadvantaged students.

“I think it’s important to be a part of the community you are in and give back to those who are less fortunate in that community…

the Community Foundation allows me to do that.” David joined CFAAC’s board in 2022 and opened a Donor Advised Fund soon after. While he admits there’s still a lot for him to learn, he knows that he can count on CFAAC to help him identify where his funds can best be applied. “There are so many areas of need that you have to prioritize; you have to set your focus as to what those needs are and then stick to that. The Community Foundation can help me do that. They provide support and they help keep donor’s assets safe.”