In the Office
David is the Managing Partner at DesignHammer. He leads the marketing, sales, and project management arms for the company, in addition to serving as Chief Financial Officer.
David is a local pioneer in advocating for accessible websites and is passionate in ensuring that websites meet accessibility standards, and that clients understand the importance of that commitment.
Professional Background
David moved to Chapel Hill from New York City to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, receiving a bachelor’s in Political Science with additional coursework in history, economics, and journalism. He also earned a certificate from UNC’s Carolina Business Institute for accounting, finance, marketing, and operations. At Carolina, David also worked as a freelance photographer and served as Photography Editor of The Daily Tar Heel.
In 1995 at DTS Language Services, a technical translation agency, David was first exposed to website development, creating the company’s initial corporate website and overseeing the internationalization and localization of customer websites. He also worked as the first Webmaster for the Workforce Development Education Division of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and executed contract assignments for the interactive division of Signal Design.After NetworkArts spun off from Signal Design in 1998, David joined the organization, eventually rising to Vice President. Initially hired as a coder, he later focused his attention on operations and account management. Once the opportunity arose in 2001, David, Robert, and Frank founded DesignHammer.
Out of the Office
David has served as a director of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina, the Public Information Network, Inc. (PIN, Inc.), the North Carolina Hillel Foundation, The North Carolina Division of USA Fencing, and the advisory boards of the Advertising and Graphic Design Department of Alamance Community College, and the Triangle User Experience Professionals Association (TriUXPA). A scout in his youth, David has continued his service to the scouting movement, serving in BSA unit, district, and council leadership positions.
David is a competitive sabre fencer and member of the Mid-South Fencer’s Club in Durham. During his time at UNC, David was a member of the school’s Fencing Team and was the North Carolina Junior Sabre Champion in 1986. He has medaled numerous times at the state and national level, as well as earning bronze in Masters Men’s Sabre for Team USA at the 19th World Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2013.
He also continues with his passion for photography and has exhibited photography in both solo and group shows. He is also a member of UNC’s Exalted Order of the Has-Beens. In his spare time, David combines his love of photography, history, and family, photographing his wife and family on WWII-era museum ships. He lives in Durham with his wife and two children.
Speaking Experience
- BarCamp RDU (Raleigh, NC)
- Capital Camp & Gov Days (Washington, D.C.)
- Conference for North Carolina’s Nonprofits (Durham, NC)
- the Daily Tar Heel’s 125th Anniversary Journalism Conference (Chapel Hill, NC)
- Digital Marketing for Business Conference (Raleigh, NC)
- Drupal GovCon (Washington, D.C.)
- DrupalCamp Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
- DrupalCamp Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)
- php[world] Conference (Washington, D.C.)
- Raleigh Internet Summit (Raleigh, NC)
- NCTech4Good Conference (Durham, NC)
- NTC Drupal Days (Washington, D.C.)
- NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference (Washington, D.C.)
- UNC-Chapel Hill — School of Information and Library Science (Chapel Hill, NC)
- Wake Tech Community College — Computer Science & Digital Arts (Raleigh, NC)
