David Thompson is Managing Associate of the Defense Practice where he serves as a principle liaison between the Practice's clients and the federal government. In this capacity, David develops, coordinates and executes federal engagement campaigns on behalf of clients, working closely with the Pentagon, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Congress, the White House, and other federal agencies.

David provides strategic direction for private companies, hospitals and universities working with the Department of Defense, particularly in the areas of defense healthcare and supply chain management. David manages a portfolio of clients that have strong DoD support for their advanced research and development initiatives, particularly with healthcare information technology, advanced data modeling for the military and intelligence agencies and mass casualty response and protection. He works closely with key decision makers in Congress and in the federal agencies, including the US Army’s Materiel and Medical Command, the US Army’s Chief of Medical Information Officer, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas Security Affairs, the Office of the Secretary of the VA, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at HHS, and the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Health Affairs, among others.

David helps his clients navigate the federal landscape for targeted federal appropriations, public/private partnerships, and various joint venture opportunities. On top of developing and implementing strategic federal relations campaigns, David adds additional value to his clients by tracking legislation, seeking grant opportunities for his clients’ priorities and assisting in the writing of those grants to federal agencies.

Prior to creating and managing a stand-alone Defense Practice, David was a Senior Associate in the Health, Education and Defense Practice. Before joining the Carmen Group, David worked with the White House Presidential and Vice Presidential Advance teams and was an intern in the White House Office of Media Affairs. In this position, David was responsible for several daily briefing projects for key administration officials. Prior to that, David worked on the Bush/Cheney 2000 campaign in Tennessee. He also interned for the Fox News Channel's hit prime-time show Hannity and Colmes.  David graduated from The University of the South with a B.A. in Political Science and was president of the College Republicans.

In his spare time, David volunteers with the Shenandoah Mountain Search and Rescue Group and is a certified tracker with the Appalachian Professional Tracking Group.  In addition, David participates in a portion of the US Army Green Beret training program dealing with asymmetrical warfare and is a wilderness survival and land navigation instructor.