General Services Coordinator, Administration

Photo: Dennis Keeley

David Schow was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised in Golden, Colorado, a rural community west of Denver. Growing up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, he spent a good deal of time outdoors, hiking, fishing, and skiing. His mother, a homemaker, and father, an airline pilot, shared their passion for the outdoors with all six of their children. It was music that first caught David's interest. By the time he'd finished high school (where he took a number of music classes), he'd taught himself to play the piano and guitar.

After studying business administration at Metropolitan State College in Denver, he took a job as a skilled craft specialist with the parks department at the City of Lakewood, a Denver suburb. He enjoyed both the variety of skills he garnered in construction and seeing park facilities produced at the end.

In 1984, he came to Los Angeles to see the Olympic Games. Afterward, wanting a change in his life, he decided to stay. He found a job with United Airlines, managing building operations at the company's facility in the Marina del Rey section of Los Angeles. Four years later he became the facilities manager for a start-up technology company. This was followed by a similar position with L.A. Gear, a shoe and clothing manufacturer with offices in Marina del Rey, adjacent to the GCI's first offices. After getting to know several Institute staff, he applied for a position at the GCI as a facilities and engineering assistant. He was hired in 1991.

Since the Institute's move to the Getty Center, he has become the GCI's liaison with other service departments at the Center. In addition, he assists administration with purchasing and accounting and manages the GCI's audiovisual equipment. He likes the need to be innovative and finds his work at the Institute to be more stimulating than other jobs he's held. He particularly likes the people he works with and the long-term friendships that have grown out of the work.

David still finds time for music, and he uses a music workstation at home to do composition. The outdoors continues to beckon, and on weekends he's often out enjoying all that Southern California has to offer.