David McWhorter

Bio

Dr. David McWhorter spent over seven years at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC). Most recently he served as the deputy project leader for IDA on the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) SAFETY Act (the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002). In this position he led the technical evaluations of anti-terrorism products and services across a broad spectrum of countermeasures for chemical, biological, explosive, nuclear, cyber and human threats, including services. He was also instrumental in the implementation of the SAFETY Act including orchestrating the creation of the evaluation process, the drafting of the application kits, and the coordination of several government procurements, and the identification of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Dr. McWhorter received personal recognition from Admiral Jay M. Cohen, DHS’s Under Secretary for Science and Technology, for “outstanding…high-quality technical… support” when IDA was awarded the Under Secretary’s Award for Outstanding Contractor Support in November 2007, shortly before joining Catalyst Group. Dr. McWhorter has also supported several Department of Defense programs for the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), including the Army’s Chemical Demilitarization, the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles and the Navy’s Tomahawk. His work for the Army’s Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA) earned him several personal recognitions from the AMSAA Director (2005-7). As a Principal of Catalyst Partners, Dr. McWhorter brings over 15 years of academic and business experience to one of D.C.’s most respected Homeland Security government relations and business development firms. His work will focus on helping clients navigate DHS (especially the SAFETY Act) and helping DHS navigate his clients. In 2007, Dr. McWhorter became a member of the US Chamber of Commerce’s SAFETY Act committee, and in 2008 he was appointed to the Executive Board of NDIA’s Homeland Security Division. Dr. McWhorter earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia and a B.S. in Chemistry from Washington and Lee University. He resides in Maryland with his wife and two children.