David Geanacopoulos is an attorney and public affairs executive with deep experience at the intersection of law, public affairs, business, and technology.  He has exercised leadership roles in law, crisis management, international affairs, automotive industry matters, as well as corporate management and public policy advocacy.

Mr. Geanacopoulos grew up in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and graduated from Chicopee High School.  He graduated from Harvard College in 1977.  After graduation, he worked as a Staff Assistant in the district office of US Representative Edward Boland of Springfield, Massachusetts.  In 1979, Mr. Geanacopoulos relocated to Washington, DC, and served as Legislative Assistant to Rep. Boland while attending Georgetown University Law Center in the evening.  He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1983 and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

In 1983, Mr. Geanacopoulos joined the Washington office of the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld.  He was a member of the Firm’s public policy practice group and became a partner of the Firm in 1991.  His practice included automotive industry affairs, international trade and foreign policy, and congressional oversight investigations.  He represented major US and foreign companies, foreign governments, and trade associations.

In 2003, Mr. Geanacopoulos joined Volkswagen Group of America as head of government relations.  During his 17-year career at the Company, he rose to the role of Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel.  In addition to leading the Company’s legal and government relations functions, he played leading roles in numerous strategic corporate projects including the relocation of the Company’s US headquarters and the establishment of the Company’s manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  He served on the Company’s executive management committee and advised the US and parent company leadership on legal, political, and business matters in the US.  He retired from Volkswagen Group of America in 2020.

Following his retirement, Mr. Geanacopoulos has done consulting work for a think tank on future automotive regulatory policy and has advised an investment fund focused on electrification of the transportation sector.  He serves on the Board of the Greater Washington Urban League and the National Advisory Committee of the Trust for the National Mall.  He is a member of the Economic Club of Washington and an advisor to the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival.