David Santulli

Dave Santulli is the author of Relational Diplomacy: Innovations in Peacebuilding: A Case Study of Cyprus and he is the President and founder of United Planet, a nonprofit with a mission to create a global community one relationship at a time.

Since 2001, United Planet has developed and connected more than 20,000+ global citizen leaders with projects in 40+ countries. Collectively, the United Planet community has served over 2 million hours, valued at over $57 million dollars, towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, supporting areas such as global health, environmental sustainability, education, equity, economic development, and peace and security.

Santulli created the concept of Relational Diplomacy as a practical method to improve intercultural relations. Relational Diplomacy is the theory that peace-building and improved intercultural relations can occur by creating a vast and intricate web of interpersonal relationships and friendships. Relational Diplomacy is instrumental to his work at United Planet.

Dave lived in Tokyo, Japan for nine years as the CEO of a Tokyo-based trading company. He holds a Master’s of International Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston, completed an Executive Non-Profit Management Certificate (PMNO) from Harvard Business School/Harvard Kennedy School, attended St. Louis University’s International Business and Spanish Language program in Madrid, Spain, and graduated magna cum laude from Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dave has also been a teacher in U.S. public schools and a certified public accountant and financial consultant for Price Waterhouse.

In addition to living in various parts of the world for a significant portion of his life, Dave has traveled to over 100 nations and has studied Spanish, Japanese, and Russian.