Meet the Team

David Lombardino started his career in 2001 as an editor for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris, France, where he mastered the knowledge and skills needed to edit a broad range of documents, from CVs and policy documents to institutional reports and speeches. One highlight was editing live draft resolutions projected on auditorium screens at general conferences while delegates from all UNESCO’s 194 member states debated them. Concurrently, he pursued his passion for writing fiction, publishing short stories in literary journals The Helix, Sonora Review and Soundings East. He returned to the U.S. in 2008 to found a premier editing, critique, consultation and proofreading company, and thus began DLA Editors & Proofers.

A Lesson From His High School Teacher, and College

David learned how invaluable clear feedback is in helping a person improve their writing from his high school creative writing teacher because she did not give him any. That teacher had many years of experience and was praised for her teaching methods. She was even the chair of the English Department at the top college preparatory school in Houston.

But he struggled in her class, consistently getting C’s and D’s on his papers. One day, David went after class to seek her advice on how to improve his writing. She responded, “Just try harder.” He asked for more detail, to which she simply repeated. "Just try harder.”

For the rest of the year, he would “try harder,” get a poor grade, seek advice from his teacher, and not receive the help he asked for and needed. He finished the year with a C-.

At Washington University in St. Louis, where he majored in applied mathematics, David determined not to let his high school experiences impede his passion for English. He minored in English literature, and in each class developed his analytical and writing skills and read the entire books even when the syllabus indicated to read only certain portions. This included all 536 pages of Moby Dick.

Clear, Invaluable Feedback

The more he grew as an editor for UNESCO, as well as a writer in his own fiction projects, the more he developed his ability to provide clear, invaluable feedback to writers across a broad range of documents and fields of expertise. He honed his talent for discerning the message each wanted to communicate and helping them better express it, each within their own voice.

Empowering Candidates Through Their Applications

Soon, friends began asking him to help them with their personal statements, CVs, cover letters and application essays for medical residency, law school and MBA programs and getting accepted to the nation’s top programs. As word spread of the successes these applicants were achieving with David’s approach, DLA Editors & Proofers expanded its offerings to include medical fellowship, medical school and all master, PhD and other graduate programs, as well as programs in Canada, western Europe and eastern Asia.

Empowering Academics in Their Research

With this same personalized, sincere and unapologetic approach, David and the growing team of DLA editors welcomed as clients graduate students and professional researchers seeking to establish and grow their reputations through proposals, grant requests, dissertations and papers. They came from diverse fields, with early topics including an analysis of truss bridge performance under earthquake, an advancement in microvascular surgery, and corporate social responsibility in the hospitality industry.

Both native and nonnative English speakers and writers were soon completing master degrees and PhDs, gaining publication in Elsevier, PLOS One and other peer-reviewed journals, and earning multi-million-dollar grants to lead cutting-edge projects.

Empowering Writers in Telling Their Stories

Authors, from first-time novelists to seasoned screenwriters and professionals crafting works of nonfiction, have benefitted equally from David’s approach. These efforts have spanned diverse genres, from children’s books and self-help to horror and historical fiction, to mention just a few. In all of them, details matter and flow as a seamless experience out of the supportive, collaborative perspective David takes—and leads DLA’s editors to take—with each writer.

Accolades DLA clients have achieved include being featured at the Frankfurt Book Fair, earning production contracts with Netflix, and securing lucrative speaking engagements.

Empowering Organizations Through Their Brands

In the world of for-profit and nonprofit organizations, from solo professionals to international corporations, David’s vision of supportive collaboration between DLA and their clients has achieved outstanding results.

Just one example is a leading maker of touchscreens for entertainment, medical, restaurant and retail environments. Despite the exciting innovations they continually brought to the market, they felt their brand voice had gone stale and needed a new direction. David started with their press releases, showing them ways to express the boldness of their innovations through the bold, innovative use of language. If they wanted to brand themselves as pioneers in their market, they needed to pioneer a fresh voice for their corporate communications. Their chief marketing officer loved the approach and has since grown the partnership with DLA to include all their marketing materials.

Personal Life

In his spare time, David enjoys photography, volunteering at the Houston Food Bank and spending time with his wife, who is a physician, and daughter.