Biography

David reached a professional epiphany during a parachute jump. He decided that jumping and marketing were a lot alike. You have to leave safety behind and you’re usually in suspense between the start and the finish. The difference: in jumping, you shouldn’t leave without a parachute; for a good marketing idea, you almost always have to.

David formed Gravelle Branding/ Marketing in 2007 to work with people who believe that their brand not only will make a difference, but is the difference. He has more than 30 years of industry experience and spent 11 years as a brand manager.

For 20 years, David oversaw the clients of Richards/Gravelle, where, as partner, he built an integrated advertising and public relations powerhouse. He directed brand development and client relations for a portfolio of clients and oversaw the largest public relations firm in Dallas. His category experience includes, financial services, wealth management, restaurant, telecommunications, higher education, healthcare, film festival, legal, real estate, home improvement, automotive, biotechnology, online security, grocery, not for profit and even a presidential center and a Super Bowl.

From 1975 to 1986, David was director of marketing for MCorp, the largest bank holding company in Texas. During his tenure, the firm grew from a single $850 million bank to a $23 billion organization. He managed the CLIO award-wining Momentum advertising campaign. David oversaw marketing and communications for over 30 acquisitions and an initial public offering of common equity.

He directed a name change of 125 separate entities, including graphics and signage, and built a product naming system used by all banking entities. He directed the communications for MPACT, one of the nation’s largest proprietary ATM networks.

For seven of his thirteen year appointment, David served as Vice Chairman of the Texas Historical Commission where he was chairman of the Marketing and Strategy Committees and for a time directed the legislative effort. He thought that was it. It wasn’t. He has now been reappointed to a four year term where once again he chairs the Marketing (now Communications) Committee.

He has also served as a director of the Texas State Historical Association where he was a member of the Governance and Finance Committees and chaired the Marketing Committee and was a board member of the Clements Center for Southwestern Studies.

He is past president and member of the governing board of the Dallas Museum of Natural History (now Perot), a former member of the board of The Hockaday School, the advisory board of the Dallas Film Society, the associate board of the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business, the Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation, and the Baylor Health Care System Foundation. He recently completed a term as president of the Town and Gown Club at SMU, the oldest club on campus. David is a very proud past president of The Dallas Assembly.

He is a member of the Krewe of Orpheus and yes, he has ridden a float during Mardi Gras. David has climbed Mts. Rainier and Shuksan and made a sunrise ascent of Mt. Fuji. He has completed an Outward Bound Survival course, made over 30 military parachute jumps and run over 36,000 miles. He enjoys fitness, movies and tries to enjoy golf.

David has a B.B.A. and M.B.A. in marketing from Southern Methodist University, where he has been an Instructor for the SMU Continuing Education program teaching a class on the movies. He and his wife Linda have two grown children.