David P. Rochester, Sr. ’68*

Business and finance expert. Helping hand to others. True Clemson ambassador.

David Rochester of Aldie, Virginia, sets the standard for impactful service and effective leadership in everything he does – as a professional, in his community, and especially for Clemson.

The Clemson, S.C., native earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Clemson University in 1968. He went on to earn a master’s in economics from North Carolina State University in 1970 and a doctorate in business and finance from the University of Georgia in 1974. He served in the United States Army from 1968 to 1982.

Today, he is chairman of Capital Resources Group Inc., the investment banking firm that he founded in 1983, and owner and operator of Cool Spring Farm, an award-winning Angus cattle and sport horse enterprise. He also is president of WorldWideWord Inc., a Christian ministry that he and his wife, Catherine, founded in 2000 to fund schools and orphanages, promote health care and provide micro business start-up loans throughout Africa, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Eastern European countries.

David, who was chief economist for the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp. from 1977 to 1980, has frequently served as an expert witness on federal and state levels, including in court cases and before Congressional subcommittees. He has published scholarly articles in numerous professional journals and has held faculty positions at the University of Georgia, the University of Alabama, Virginia Tech and George Washington University.

Among his many community service activities and accomplishments in Virginia, he is a longtime member of the Piedmont Environmental Council and received the Clean Water Farm Award for the Potomac River Basin from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. He is founder and president of the Leesburg Church Foundation for funding Christian ministries and is a leader of the Leesburg Community Church, the Middleburg Humane Foundation and several other local organizations.

Since 1996, David has been active in multiple roles for the Baltimore/Washington, DC Clemson Club. His contributions, leadership and relationships have been instrumental in the club’s growth and success in alumni engagement throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia and northern Virginia and in fundraising initiatives to support scholarships and other University priorities.

He is noted for his willingness to assist Clemson officials and students who visit Washington and for creating global opportunities for Clemson by hosting receptions and programs in the embassies of countries such as Belgium, Germany, Canada, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, India and China. He and his wife also established the Rochester Passport Program to support student travel overseas to learn about servant leadership by reducing poverty through the creation of small businesses in developing countries.

David has helped to arrange business and government internships for Clemson students and regularly mentors Clemson alumni in the greater Washington area. He also meets with local high school students and parents to promote their interest in Clemson.

David and Catherine have two children: daughter Caroline Rochester Dickens and son David P. Rochester II.

* This information was taken from the Clemson Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award website.