David J. Grain

David J. Grain (born May 31, 1962) is an American entrepreneur, businessman, and investor. He is the current chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director of the global investments firm Grain Management LLC, which he founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Washington D.C. His firm invests exclusively in the telecommunications sector, using what the firm refers to as "algorithmic, computational investment analysis" to inform its investment decisions.

Early life and education
Grain was born in Brooklyn to Dora and Walter Grain. He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1984. Grain later attended the Tuck School of Business of Dartmouth College, receiving a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in 1989.

Career
Grain began his career at Drexel Burnham Lambert in 1989, where he worked for a year before being recruited by Morgan Stanley. He became principal after two years with the company, and continued his work there until moving on to AT&T in 2000. He served as the New England region's Senior Vice President until 2003, and then as President of Pinnacle Holdings, Inc. until 2005, while simultaneously serving as director of Newcastle Investment Corporation. During his short tenure at Pinnacle Holdings, he was able to rescue the company from bankruptcy and grew its portfolio from 2,000 sites to over 11,000.

Grain serves on multiple boards of directors and councils, including Dell Technologies and New Fortress Energy. Grain is on the board of Martha Vineyard museum and the advisory council for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Grain is also known for his political support of the Democratic Party. He contributed a minimum of $200,000 to $500,000 in the 2008 elections. His political activity led to President Obama appointing him to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council as the chair of the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience National R&D Plan.

Grain is former Lead Independent Director, current Chair for Nominating, Governance, and Corporate Responsibility Committee and a Member of the Compensation Committee for Southern Company.

Grain has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College since July 1, 2024.

Personal life
Grain is married to Lisa Grain. She is an orthodontist with a D.D.S. from Howard University College of Dentistry and an M.S. in orthodontics from Ohio State University. They have been married for more than 30 years.

Grain and his wife founded the Grain Fellows Program, which assists low-income families by providing funding for SAT and college preparation. They also adopted the high school Booker High in Sarasota to support to a mentorship program, along with supporting the school's college programs.

Awards
Grain has been recognized as one of the "Top 40 leaders under 40" in Boston by the Boston Business Journals. He was also given the "Ten Outstanding Young Leaders Award" by Boston Jaycees. Grain was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022.

Grain and his wife were recognized in by the National Urban Technology Center in 2018 at the center's annual award's gala, where they received the Corporate Leadership Award for their philanthropic efforts within their community.