Meet David

A Strong Community Connection

My family and I moved to Chapel Hill in 1984 and I’ve worked to improve our community and our public schools ever since. I served as a member of the Science Advisory Board at Ephesus Elementary School and helped build the Roadrunner nature trail at Ephesus Park. To ensure adequate school capacity as our town grew, I joined with other concerned citizens to secure a new school, Rashkis Elementary, for the Meadowmont district. For many years I coached youth baseball and basketball for the Chapel Hill and Carrboro recreation programs and am currently in my twenty-third year serving as a public address announcer for East Chapel Hill High School basketball.

I am an active member of Triangle Fly Fishers, the local chapter of Trout Unlimited. I served on the TFF board for two terms and participated in a number TFF outreach programs. These included fly fishing clinics for the public, Project Healing Waters (fishing with disabled veterans), conservation education through Trout in the Classroom and Rivercourse summer camp, support for Casting Carolinas (women with breast cancer), and Reel Recovery (men with prostate cancer) among others.

Most recently, I helped lead a campaign advocating for creation of a community park on land the Town purchased from the American Legion with parks bond funds (see www.legionpark.org). In support of this and other policy proposals, I have spoken at numerous Council meetings, presented petitions, and expressed my views on local media outlets.

Experience

I was born in Canada and grew up in small towns in Nebraska and South Dakota. I earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and English from the University of Iowa and a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Nebraska. 

My thirty-four-year career as a cancer researcher has equipped me with the leadership and organizational skills to be an effective Town Council member. At the Burroughs Wellcome Co., I brought together cancer research, medical and marketing teams to improve coordination and collaboration. At the Duke Cancer Center, I led the Drug Discovery and Development Laboratory and the Pharmacology Shared Resource Facility. I reviewed cancer research proposals for the Department of Defense and reviewed clinical protocols for the Duke Health Institutional Review Board.

Through my work as Principal Investigator on numerous grants from various institutions, I gained expertise to set goals, make action plans, create and administer budgets, meet regulatory requirements, assess outcomes and evaluate impacts. As a scientist, I keep an open mind on a problem and base decisions on evidence. I observe “what is” and ask “how did we get here” in order to inform how to move forward. These skills are especially valuable for Council members in their role to formulate policy for implementation by the Town Manager. 

Having served our community in various ways for over thirty years, I am running for Town Council to make Chapel Hill a place where all its residents, both present and future, can thrive. I will seek ways to mitigate climate change, expand parks and green space, increase affordable housing, and ensure our infrastructure keeps pace with our growth. I will advocate for greenways and safe streets to walk and bike, and for public transit to reduce reliance on automobiles. I will work to create commercial districts that support local businesses and to maintain excellent schools for our children. I am eager to partner with residents to realize these goals and to make Chapel Hill a vibrant, livable community for all of us.