David Knight

David Knight was born and bred in North Carolina. He went to UNC-Chapel Hill for his undergraduate degree in Political Science, and then to Wake Forest University Law School, where he attained a Juris Doctorate. After graduation, David practiced law in his home county for two years, and then moved to Raleigh, where he has worked ever since at the nexus of policy-making & politics in and around state government.

His work in Raleigh included seven years as a contract lobbyist & consultant for natural resource, environmental, & transportation NGO’s, and over four years as the Director of Government Relations for the NC Nature Conservancy. In 2009, he was appointed by Governor Perdue to the position of Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources at the Department of Environment & Natural Resources, which is now known as the Division of Environmental Quality, or “DEQ”. For the next four years, he oversaw the directors & staff of the natural resource agencies of the department, such as Parks & Rec, Marine Fisheries, and Forestry. After the Perdue Administration ended, David returned to consulting for clients in the natural resources realm. In January 2018, David became the Director for the newly established NC Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.