David Elrod (’77)

David Elrod served as Senior Vice President and General Manager with Jacobs Technology, where he managed the Aerospace Testing Alliance – a joint venture that operated and maintained the world’s largest collection of aerospace ground testing facilities.

He was also a technical fellow for space sensors and worked on scene generation in space chambers. His enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment gave everyone in the room an incentive to do their best work.

Early Life and Education

Early childhood development is one of the most critical times in a child’s life. During this period, they develop important brain and cognitive skills such as language, literacy, numeracy, critical thinking and social-emotional learning.

Children benefit from active stimulation and interaction with teachers in classrooms as part of their early education, setting the stage for future academic success.

As such, early childhood care and education is a top priority for many governments and societies around the world. This includes UNESCO who views high-quality early childhood care and education as an essential investment in a nation’s development that promotes holistic wellbeing, gender equality and social cohesion.

Professional Career

David Elrod (’77) has dedicated his professional career to engineering and management, most recently at Jacobs Technology. During this time he has managed the design, construction and operation of wind tunnels, hypersonic propulsion test units, space chambers and related aerospace test infrastructure.

He has led thousands of employees, secured billions in contracts and managed nationally significant test operations. He earned his doctorate in industrial and systems engineering as well as engineering management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

He has served on the board of directors of Hospice of Highland Rim Foundation and serves as a shepherd in his local church. Additionally, he was past chairman of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Technical Committee on Management. Additionally, he has received numerous awards throughout his career.

Achievements and Honors

David Elrod (’77) of UAH has been a pioneer and innovator in space technology for many years. Now he’s leading an entirely different kind of mission at Lipscomb University in Nashville: one closer to home.

Over his career, he has led thousands of employees, secured billions in contracts and overseen nationally significant test operations. Now, as dean of Lipscomb University’s Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering, he strives to make a difference closer to home by making an impactful difference for students and faculty alike.

He serves on the board of directors for Ascend Federal Credit Union, a local, not-for-profit financial institution with approximately $10 billion in assets. During his tenure there, he has been actively engaged with other Ascend board members and leadership team to ensure Ascend is efficiently serving its members.

Personal Life

David Elrod has an incredible personal life. He is married to reality show star Jenelle Evans and they have three children together.

He and his wife have a combined net worth of $4 Million, which they earned through their roles on film and television shows.

Despite his career, he still finds time for his wife and supports her endeavors. They enjoy traveling together as well as attending movie shows with their friends.

He also has an intriguing love story with former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader Shannon St. Clair. They were seen hanging out at several Miami clubs before she accused him of cheating on him with her Soul Cycle instructor. Ultimately, the couple parted ways due to disagreements.

Net Worth

David Elrod is a trial attorney with over four decades of experience handling complex commercial, business, energy and bet-the-company cases across America. He has successfully represented both large and small clients alike, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts for his clients.

David is a partner at Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton LLP and practices commercial, real estate and litigation law. He has tried cases to juries, judges and arbitrators alike.

He represents individuals, businesses, entrepreneurs and high-net worth families in the evaluation, acquisition, disposition and development of real estate. As an innovator in using Opportunity Zone legislation to identify, assess and develop projects related to real estate development, he has extensive expertise.

He is one of the founders of Gobundance – a mastermind group for healthy, wealthy, generous men who want to lead epic lives. In his classes he shares strategies on achieving amazing results in all areas of life while managing to balance family commitments.