David Bearden is the David Bearden is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation. With over 20 years of experience in sales, operations, and law, including over 15 years as an executive leading start-ups and strategic transactions, and driving improvements and turnarounds, he elevates companies to their next stage of growth through expectant, uplifting leadership.
David served as a senior executive and corporate officer of a $6 billion, privately held energy business that he helped mature into the world’s largest producer of bioethanol. He concurrently helped launch and grow what became the bioethanol industry’s largest and most influential trade association, based in Washington, D.C.
David served in management in an automotive group that set the industry standard for customer service and as a senior leader in a presidential administration. As the Chief Operating Officer of the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration, he helped transform a $320 million bureau with a $2.5 billion investment portfolio of economic development grants and loans. David also served as the Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Navy, overseeing the legal matters of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and the Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce. From 2005-2014, David proudly served as a U.S. Naval Reserve Officer.
A native Texan, David holds degrees in economics and law from The University of Texas at Austin, where he became a three-year letter winner on the Texas Longhorn football team as a walk-on. He also holds an Executive MBA degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
