Dave Driver

Dave Driver

Senior Vice President, Business Development & Corporate Relations

David is a veteran economic development professional with marketing and program development experience in the public, nonprofit and private sectors. He has run a university-related business incubator and a unique public venture capital organization, developed state-level urban redevelopment incentives and tourism promotion campaigns, and directed business recruitment marketing efforts on both the state and regional levels. David headed marketing for the Connecticut Department of Economic Development for 15 years and later founded and directed Connecticut Innovations, the state’s risk capital agency. He recently led business attraction efforts for Northeast Utilities where he coordinated a business recruitment initiative for the six New England states. He served as president of Science Park at Yale and vice president at the Connecticut Economic Resource Center.

AFFILIATIONS

David is a board member and former chairman of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, a trustee of the Eastern States Exposition, part of the Corporate Advisory Committee of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts and on the board of the Northeastern Economic Developers Association.

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS

• Sparked Connecticut’s entry into technology-based economic development and venture capital with the founding and management of Connecticut Innovations.
• Managed redevelopment and business incubation at Science Park at Yale, an 80-acre formerly abandoned industrial area housing 50 companies and some 900 employees.
• Developed and executed promotion, public relations and advertising campaigns to draw businesses, tourists and film-makers to Connecticut.
• Led business recruitment representatives of the six New England states in a common marketing collaborative throughout the U.S. and in Europe.