SCRA - Applied Research and Commercialization Services

Dave McNamara - Executive Vice President, Technology Ventures

Dave McNamara, an experienced Fortune 500 and start-up executive, is Executive Vice President of SCRA and the Executive Director of SC Launch! SCRA is a leader in establishing the Knowledge Economy in South Carolina and the nation by successfully advancing applied research and technology through collaboration.

McNamara provides leadership at SC Launch! by directing all aspects of operations, research, communications, and recommendations of the new SCRA program. SC Launch! supports technology ventures in South Carolina with seed money, counsel and facilities in an effort to grow high-paying technology jobs in the state.

McNamara, who is an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College, comes to SCRA from two start-ups. At Excelergy, a Lexington, MA, energy software company, McNamara was Vice President of North American Market Operations. He managed sales, architecture and customer relationships and was instrumental in the Company’s turn-around. At Conita Technologies, a provider of speech-enabled personal virtual assistants in Columbia, SC, McNamara was Vice President of Global Sales. He built sales and reseller channels, established partnerships with companies such as Avaya and Fujitsu, and helped obtain venture funding for the Company.

McNamara was Vice President - Sales of the Energy, Utility and Communications Market Unit for Systems & Computer Technology Corp., Columbia, SC from 1996-1999. Under his direction, sales increased 15-fold to $90 million, and a 40-person sales staff was built During the prior five years, he was Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Anchor Continental, a pressure-sensitive tape manufacturer in Columbia, SC. McNamara built sales to $120 million and created an industry-leading customer service function.

At South Carolina Electric and Gas, Columbia, SC, McNamara held a variety of top-level executive posts between 1977 and 1991, including Vice President/Electric Marketing and Sales. He implemented innovative marketing programs that resulted in dramatic increases in sales and return on investment. He also held vice presidential posts in public affairs, operations and finance at various subsidiaries. Previously, he was a Senior Auditor/CPA for Arthur Andersen Co. in Atlanta, GA.

McNamara was first in his M.B.A. class at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, and received a graduate degree in professional accounting. He earned a B.S. in marketing at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), Blacksburg, VA. McNamara is a Columbia, SC, resident.