David W. McMillan, Ph.D. is the creator of the Sense of Community Theory, which has been referred to in community-psychology journals and hundreds of studies. It has been used to measure and investigate sense of community in cities, neighborhoods, populations of immigrants, churches, and organizations. Dr. McMillan is a founder of the Nashville Psychotherapy Institute and co-director of Compose, a program that treats family violence, and Compose for Kids, a program that helps adolescents and youth cope with their anger. He has served as an adjunct faculty member of George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and is currently in private practice with more than twenty years of experience as a mental-health professional.

He lives with his wife in Nashville.