Academic research, performances on the stage, and experiences with the Eisenhower Institute helped David Wemer ’14 develop his career goals and set him on a professional journey to the nation’s capital.
When David Wemer ’14 arrived at Gettysburg College in the fall of 2010, he was intent on studying history and pursuing a career as a college professor. Those professional aspirations evolved over time as he embarked on a variety of experiences across campus, deepening his desire to understand the world around him and providing the skills and network to pursue unique career opportunities in Washington, D.C., over the last decade.
Originally from northeast Ohio, Wemer is principal associate strategy at The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profit organization that uses data to illuminate issues, build common ground, and advance strategies for tangible progress. Prior to assuming a role at Pew in 2020, Wemer weaved his way through the D.C. professional network, taking on editing roles at the Atlantic Council and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP), interning at NASA, and serving as program coordinator at Gettysburg’s own Eisenhower Institute.
Adapting to those career moves wouldn’t have been as smooth and seamless without Wemer’s time as an undergraduate student at Gettysburg, which saw him explore learning opportunities in the classroom, on the stage, and in the nation’s capital during his four years on campus.
“Those career pivots are certainly possible anywhere, but Gettysburg really greases the wheels for them to happen,” Wemer said. “It's an environment particularly conducive to allowing you to experiment and figure out what you actually want to do for your career.”
“It's an environment particularly conducive to allowing you to experiment and figure out what you actually want to do for your career.”
– David Wemer '14
A history major and German studies minor, Wemer worked closely alongside faculty mentors, such as History Prof. Bill Bowman. As a Mellon Summer Scholar, Wemer performed original in-depth research, resulting in a 60-page paper with more than 150 sources. During his senior year, Wemer was awarded the highly competitive Raymond J. Cunningham Prize by the American Historical Association (AHA) for the best article written by an undergraduate student and published in a history journal. His work, “Europe’s Little Tiger? Reassessing Economic Transition in Slovakia Under the Meciar Government 1993-1998,” looked at economic policies under Vladimir Meciar, the first prime minister of independent Slovakia.
“I was able to do research with a professor that really only a grad student or a doctoral student would get to do,” Wemer said. “The Mellon program was a great experience, but I also found out that academic research wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.”
Wemer spent many of his evenings on campus rehearsing and performing in theater productions, such as “My Fair Lady,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “The Importance of Being Earnest.” He also participated in several Eisenhower Institute programs, including Strategy and Leadership in Transformational Times with founding director Susan Eisenhower and Inside Politics with former presidential advisor Kasey S. Pipes. Through these opportunities, Wemer discovered his passion for effecting change through policy and leadership, a direction that would ultimately lead him to Washington, D.C. following graduation.
“Susan has a special gift for shaping our thinking in ways that were complementary to the ways that our professors were shaping everything,” Wemer noted. “Kasey’s program was inspiring in terms of how it showed me how I could make it in D.C. and what it would tangibly look like.”
After graduation, EI played a critical role in Wemer’s transition between college and professional life. In the summer of 2014, he spent several months interning at NASA, an experience that tied to his work on space policy as an EI Undergraduate Fellow. The NASA internship was also made possible thanks to guidance from Susan Eisenhower and Seth Statler ’83, the former associate administrator for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at NASA.
Following NASA, Wemer earned a master’s degree at The London School of Economics and Political Science in 2015. He then returned stateside to rejoin the Eisenhower Institute as a program coordinator, helping coordinate student and event programming in D.C. Wemer also served as an assistant to Susan Eisenhower, learning about strategy and leadership while gaining insight into the innerworkings of professional life in Washington.
The stability of his day job at EI enabled Wemer to investigate other career ventures that would have otherwise been impossible amidst the hustle and bustle in Washington. He pursued writing and editing positions at YPFP, a professional organization that seeks to engage and amplify aspiring foreign policy leaders. That experience at YPFP vaulted Wemer into an editor position at the Atlantic Council, where he was on call 24 hours a day, responding quickly to breaking news around the world. Following two years at the Atlantic Council, Wemer’s career journey came full circle with his jump to Pew. Nearly a decade earlier, he organized a Gettysburg campus event with a Pew speaker for EI during the 2012 presidential election.
Wemer returned to campus last fall to celebrate his 10th class reunion and the 110th anniversary of the Owl & Nightingale Players, one of the campus organizations dedicated to theater. He remains active with his alma mater, engaging with students through connectGettysburg and serving as a resource for EI programming. As a BOLD (Burgians of the Last Decade) alumnus, he’s also made pledges of support that go through his 15th reunion year, recognizing the impact donor support can have on students pursuing their professional goals as he did a decade ago.
“All of the experiences I had at Gettysburg were because of the opportunities that donors provided,” Wemer stated. “It gives students the flexibility to explore different avenues. What donors are really helping with are the added extras like opportunities to perform on stage or travel to D.C. that I think really distinguish us from other institutions.”
Discover your own Career-Ready Experiences at Gettysburg College!
By Corey Jewart
Photo courtesy of David Wemer ’14, Eisenhower Institute, and Eric Lee ’15
Posted: 02/03/25