David P. McClure is President and Chief Executive Officer of the US Internet Industry Association, the primary US trade association for Internet commerce and connectivity.
At the request of leading companies in the online services industry, McClure chartered the Association of Online Professionals (AOP) in 1994 to represent the industry in Washington, DC. With the growth of the Internet as the primary online venue, AOP in 1998 became the US Internet Industry Association (USIIA).
McClure earned a bachelor of science degree in applied science (physics and chemistry) from the University of Iowa in 1973. He holds an MBA in executive management from Kent State University (1983), and has done additional post-graduate work in organizational development. He is also a graduate of the Defense Information School and the Karras curriculum in negotiations, and has taught communication and public policy in post-graduate and professional development environments.
A technologist by education and experience, McClure was a Cold Warrior with the Strategic Air Command, first as a pilot of the B-52 Bomber and later as a public affairs officer handling such diverse assignments as aircraft accidents, media relations and environmental incidents. He won a USAF Commendation Medal for his service, and a Thomas Jefferson Award for the design of communications programs for the armed services.
In 1979, he left the service to work for BFGoodrich on a variety of technology programs that included the NASA Space Shuttle. He spent eight years on the shuttle program, ending his tenure as a spokesman for BFGoodrich with the explosion of shuttle Challenger.
Following Challenger, he worked for in the environmental industry, where he became one of the few communication specialists qualified to work on toxic waste and nuclear radiation sites, providing community communications and interaction on Superfund cleanup sites. He went on to spend six years as a network engineer for consulting companies and marketing consultant for hardware and software companies, and three years as the online communications consultant and field agent for the Software Publishers Association, tracking international software piracy.
His association experience includes positions on the staff and Board of Directors of the Aviation and Space Writers Association (AWA), and a management position with the Software Publishers Association (SPA). Active in the online community since 1983, was awarded the prestigious Cornerstone award for leadership in the broadband industry in 2003. He has also served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Australian Internet Industry Association (IIA).
He holds the rank of Nidan in judo, and is a commercial pilot with IFR and multi-engine ratings. He collects 45-rpm records that made the Billboard Top-100 from 1958-1978, is an avid camper who treks from the Shenandoah Valley to Assateague Island, a Civil War history buff, an oenologist with a preference for the vintages of Chile and Australia, and a PADI Master Scuba Diver and DiveMaster who dives the reefs from Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the Dutch West Indies. McClure was also part of the ground support and media team for the flight of the Double Eagle II, the first trans-Atlantic balloon crossing.
He is a member of the Clan McLeod, the Scottish Clan whose home lies at Castle Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye. Clan McLeod is the Clan featured in the movies and television series "Highlander," and has a very active non-profit Society in the US for genealogical work and charitable projects.
McClure has written and lectured extensively on management and technology issues, and is considered an authority on strategic business planning, telecommuting, technology policy and technology integration for businesses. He is currently a contributing editor for business, industrial, accounting and Internet publications, and is a contributing editor to numerous Internet Industry web sites. McClure is a member of the CPA Technology Advisor's "Technology Dream Team" and contributes to Accounting Today and Accounting Technology magazines. He regularly consults with international organizations and governments on topics related to broadband and Internet policy.