David Strauss

David Strauss and Family

David Strauss remembers his time at Wheeling Country Day fondly.  But not for the reasons that many would think.  David’s voice is animated as he remembers playing make believe under the tree on the beloved Country Day hill.  Or how some of his good friends today are still those who he met almost 35 years ago.  But what strikes him the most, that evokes the most emotion, was the struggle he had with handwriting.  The emotion is not one of failure or defeat as one would envision, instead the emotion is of compassion and perseverance.  “I worked really hard at handwriting but not only could I not write, I struggled even to grip the pencil correctly.  But Mrs. Byrum would stay after school to work with me.”  

Living right around the corner on Hamilton Avenue, David’s parents, who believe his years at Wheeling Country Day School were the most important in laying the foundation of his education, would drop him off in the back alley.  “I distinctly remember the emphasis on communication at school.  From the spelling bee to presentations, I was nervous about standing on the stage and speaking in front of crowds.  I wasn’t comfortable but as I continued to practice I continued to grow.”

Today, communication drives David’s career.  He is a Managing Director and Sector Head of the US general industrials group at UBS Investment Research. He specializes in covering the aerospace and defense sector and has been ranked by Institutional Investor as a member of its All-American Research team. He also has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and NY Times and appeared on CNBC and Fox Business News. He began his Wall Street career covering the machinery and multi-industry sectors at PaineWebber. Before that, David worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in its taxation and corporate finance groups. David holds an MBA in Finance from Carnegie Mellon University and a BA in Economics from Georgetown University.

David and his wife live in New Jersey with their three sons.  “Wheeling Country Day set the foundation for me.  When it came to deciding where my boys would go to elementary school, we chose a private school.  It reminded me of Wheeling Country Day School.”

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