Hi, I'm Dana Zahavi.
I help organizations get clear, get built, and get moving.
I’ve been called a drill sergeant with a heart of gold - and they weren’t wrong. I like my delivery teams structured, my processes clear, and my people happy.
I started Livingston to do the work I saw too often left undone: helping organizations fix not just what they’re planning, but how they actually operate. The gap between strategy and execution is where most organizations lose - and it’s where I work.
I’m practical by nature. I don’t sell theory. I don’t parachute in with a framework and disappear. I work alongside leadership, ask the hard questions, build what needs to be built, and stay until it holds.
Background & Perspective
Experience
I've spent two decades leading delivery, professional services, and operational transformation across tech companies, enterprise environments, financial institutions, and service organizations.
My work has focused on helping organizations operate with clarity, accountability, and a customer focus that actually shows up in results — not just in strategy decks. I've led global teams through growth, transition, and high-pressure delivery across multiple geographies and time zones.
I've been responsible for end-to-end delivery and operations, including scoping and contracting, process design, execution, customer support, and continuous improvement. A consistent thread throughout my career has been turning Professional Services from a cost center operating at a loss into a profit driver and a source of organic growth.
Philosophy
My approach is grounded in servant leadership and the belief that people come before process, and process before technology - in exactly that order. Strong results come from clear ownership, simple processes, and leadership that invests in people while holding high standards. Accountability and trust are not opposites. When the system is built right, teams perform better, stay engaged, and deliver results that last.
Operational Know How
Most recently, I built and led the Delivery Services organization at Proven Optics - a ServiceNow-native platform - from the ground up. That meant establishing the team, the culture, the operating model, and the standards that turned Professional Services into a genuine business driver.
Before that, I spent a decade at BNY Mellon, leading PMO and delivery initiatives supporting government agencies and enterprise technology programs - focused on positioning technology organizations as value contributors, not overhead.
Across technology, finance, professional services, non-profit, and government, my objective has remained consistent: bring clarity, governance, and operational discipline without sacrificing quality, spirit, or the people doing the work.
Approach
How I
Show Up
I'm direct. I ask hard questions. I hold high standards. I also care deeply about the people doing the work and the customers they serve - because results don't last without it. I've been called a drill sergeant with a heart of gold. They weren't wrong. You get honesty, accountability, and a partner who treats your organization as if it were her own.
Why livingston dream?
I started Livingston Dream because I kept seeing the same problem - organizations with great ambition and broken operations. Not from lack of effort, but from lack of clarity, alignment, and the right structure. I do this work because I genuinely believe most organizational problems are solvable. Not with more effort. With better systems, honest conversations, and leadership willing to hold the line. That belief drives everything I do.
The Citrus Metaphor
I use citrus to explain how healthy organizations work. Strong on the outside. Distinct teams on the inside - sales, product, delivery, operations, customer success. Held together by leadership, process, and alignment. All connected to a shared core of strategy, culture, and the customer. My role is to strengthen that connective tissue, so teams stop operating in silos and the whole organization stays intact as it grows. Sometimes the work is sweet. Sometimes it's sour. But when the system is built right, it keeps producing results.
Selective expertise
I remain your primary partner and point of accountability - always. When a situation calls for specialized expertise beyond my direct scope, I bring in trusted specialists I've worked alongside before. Selectively, and only when it clearly serves your organization. I never hand you off. I stay fully accountable for direction, quality, and outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
What services do you offer?
What types of organizations do you work with?
How do you help improve predictable delivery?
What’s the difference between advisory work and embedded leadership?
How do you ensure sustainable growth?
What does success look like after an engagement?
What makes your approach different from traditional consulting?
How do you work across Product, Sales, Delivery, and Customer Success?
What problems should leaders be aware of when scaling or transforming an organization?
How can you get in touch with us?
Ready to get clear on what your organization needs?