After graduating from Georgia Military Academy with honors in 1956, David attended Georgia Tech on a Navy ROTC scholarship, earning a B.S. in physics in 1960 and a B.I.E. degree in 1964 after a three-year stint as an officer in the Marine Corps. He spent eight years as a sales engineer and account executive with the Trane Company, during which time he earned an M.B.A. from Georgia State University.

David joined McKenney’s, Inc., the family mechanical contracting business founded by his father, John M. McKenney, in 1972 as vice president. The following year, David was named president and CEO. For the next 36 years, he led the company’s growth from $5 million and 100 employees to more than $200 million and 800 employees, becoming one of the largest privately held mechanical contracting and engineering firms in the U.S. With offices in Atlanta and Charlotte, McKenney’s, Inc., is among the Southeast’s most trusted names in facility construction, operation, and maintenance, servicing some of the most iconic landmarks including Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, Georgia Aquarium, Center for Disease Control, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. McKenney’s has been recognized as one of the top 20 Best Places to Work for mid-sized firms by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Charlotte Business Journal.

David has always been a faithful and devoted supporter of Woodward Academy, serving on the planning committee for his 50th reunion, as co-chair of The Woodward Alumni Fund in 2010, and as President’s Circle member and contributor to Campaign Woodward. He also has served as president of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, a member of the board of Georgia Tech Facilities, and the Georgia Tech Foundation. In addition, David has been a member of the board of the Bobby Dodd Institute for more than 20 years and is a member of the board of directors of The University Financing Foundation, Inc.

He and his wife, Sarah, have three grown children and four grandchildren; two of whom attended Woodward Academy—Jack McKenney ’15 and Sarah McKenney ’16. Now retired, David and his family enjoy spending leisure time at their homes in Sandy Springs and on Lake Chatuge in the north Georgia Mountains.

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