David Wilkinson

David Wilkinson

David and his wife Erika discovered South County when they were married in Newport years ago, and they always wanted to return to Rhode Island. When David’s job allowed him the opportunity to settle anywhere along the East Coast, he and his family chose Charlestown. They love its quiet natural beauty, and Charlestown, with its excellent schools, small-town character, and low taxes, was exactly the place to raise their young daughter. There were threats to the community however. For example, some residents were impacted by neighboring quarry operations, the Federal Railroad Administrations had planned to bisect Charlestown with new rail, and Invenergy Thermal was proposing to remove water from Charlestown’s watershed and truck it over the town’s rural roads to cool a power plant in the northern part of the state. As a result, David got involved, serving on the Town Council from 2018 to 2020, to “help keep Charlestown “Charlestown” while also moving our town forward with good change.”

David M. Wilkinson – Town Council

David was a founding member in 1998 of a national supply chain management corporation that uses a combination of dedicated resources, advanced systems technology, and experienced professionals. David is currently the corporation’s Senior Vice President with responsibility for field operations in the Eastern half of the United States. He brings more than 29 years of experience in logistics and transportation and a depth of experience in project management, financial planning and analysis, budget development, and operations management to Town government. His experience and exposure to other communities in the United States and internationally make him a valuable and effective leader. David is dedicated to a well-managed, responsive, civil, and open government and considers all points of view and represents the interests of all residents of Charlestown. During his time on the Council, the town intervened in the Invenergy Thermal matter; a large national chain store was denied in the Traditional Village District; and the town undertook a critical information technology needs assessment and strategic plan involving all town departments, leading to the hiring of an Information Technology professional. He was also instrumental in the structuring of the town’s recently completed Town-Wide Survey. David would like to continue the work of carefully developing our community, recognizing that Charlestown’s economy depends on the quality of our natural and scenic resources for tourism and for the health, safety, welfare, and high quality of life of Charlestown’s residents.

David and his wife Erika discovered South County when they were married in Newport years ago, and they always wanted to return to Rhode Island. When David’s job allowed him the opportunity to settle anywhere along the East Coast, he and his family chose Charlestown. They love its quiet natural beauty, and Charlestown, with its excellent schools, small-town character, and low taxes, was exactly the place to raise their young daughter. There were threats to the community however. For example, some residents were impacted by neighboring quarry operations, the Federal Railroad Administrations had planned to bisect Charlestown with new rail, and Invenergy Thermal was proposing to remove water from Charlestown’s watershed and truck it over the town’s rural roads to cool a power plant in the northern part of the state. As a result, David got involved, serving on the Town Council from 2018 to 2020, to “help keep Charlestown “Charlestown” while also moving our town forward with good change.”

Education

  • BS, Business Administration with concentrations in Management, Finance and Logistics, Wilkes University, Wilkes Barre, PA

Professional Experience

  • Senior Vice President, Operations, Cardinal Logistics Management Corporation
  • Area Vice President, Cardinal Logistics Management Corporation
  • Founding member and Regional Director, Cardinal Logistics Management Corporation
  • General Manager, Exel Logistics, servicing Daimler Chrysler JIT assembly plants in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
  • General Manager, JB Hunt Transportation Dedicated Contract Services and Direct Transit Inc.

Public Service

  • Charlestown Town Council (2018 – 2020)
  • Volunteer, Fundraising Committee, Ronald McDonald House Charities
  • Founder, Valley View School District’s Cross Country Parents Association

Personal

  • David and wife Erika have three children. Their son lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Their oldest daughter recently graduated college and resides in Charlestown. David and Erika also added a new girl to their family, who will be 7 in June and attends school at Chariho. He and his wife love all things outdoors, especially fishing, and love to cook. Additionally they enjoy all sorts of do-it-yourself projects, big and small, around their home.