SCAN's Snapshots of Hope
Dave Cleary
SCAN Founder, Board Member, and Donor
Part of the SCAN family since 1988
David Cleary grew up in Illinois, the youngest of 10 children. He graduated from Notre Dame and earned a master's degree in chemical engineering from Iowa State. He then went to work for 3M in St. Paul, where he was active in many civic activities, including serving in the Minnesota State Legislature. He came to Alexandria in the 1970s when he was appointed and served as a White House Fellow in the State Department. Today, Dave is president of Cleary & Oxford Associates, a healthcare investment bank he started in 1978. He and his wife, Carol, live in the City of Alexandria and have a daughter, Erin; all three of whom have been strong supporters of SCAN over the last twenty years.
Dave Cleary's years in the Minnesota State Legislature and personal involvement with children convinced him that ensuring positive parenting and nurturing environments for children could make a dramatic difference in reducing crime, incarceration, and other community ills. Yet, in the mid-1980s, Northern Virginia had no organization specifically focused on child abuse prevention. So, in 1988, Dave Cleary founded SCAN of Northern Virginia. Over the last 20 years, he has served in a number of leadership capacities on SCAN's Board and has been instrumental not only in providing leadership himself, but also in recruiting other key leaders to become Board members, corporate sponsors, and partners in the quest to prevent child abuse and neglect in this region.
In the early years, SCAN operated out of Dave's basement until he leased space for his own business and set up an office for SCAN there as well. SCAN's first program established a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program for Alexandria City and Fairfax County. CASA Programs recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers to give voice to the needs and priorities of abused or neglected children as decisions are made about their futures. CASA volunteers make a difference by advocating for safe, permanent homes and well-being for each child, one child at a time. Because of the size of need in Fairfax County, the Fairfax CASA Program soon became its own separate organization; however, SCAN continues to operate the CASA Program in Alexandria and, in 2005, expanded to serve Arlington children as well.
Dave's commitment to prevention and education has been a guiding force as the SCAN has grown, expanded, and become more strategic in recent years. His exceptional commitment has been recognized many times, including being named:
- the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau's Volunteer of the Year Award in 1999;
- the 2006 recipient of the William D. Reynolds Award (for exceptional work with youth and the betterment of their quality of life) by the University of Notre Dame; and
- selection as one of 12 Living Legends profiled in 2007 in the Alexandria Gazette Packet, because of their tangible contributions to the quality of life in Alexandria.
Dave has been a strong proponent of targeted parent education efforts and supported SCAN's development of a comprehensive Parent Education Program. This program now offers intensive parenting class series, weekly educational parent support groups, Success by 6® playgroups, and a variety of parenting workshops.
Dave has also continued to focus on the cost-benefit analysis for child abuse prevention. His support of broad, regional public education efforts has helped SCAN develop a more strategic Public Education Program, which now encompasses online parenting fact sheets, a region-wide coalition of child welfare and prevention advocates, and grassroots speaking engagements and community events. SCAN's Allies in Prevention Awards Luncheon each April now attracts more than 150 local leaders, elected officials, child welfare professionals and others committed to raising the profile of child abuse prevention issues.
As Gail Ledford, a long-time SCAN Board member and former Board president, told the Alexandria Gazette Packet, "David is so humble. It's hard to get him to accept recognition. He embodies the belief that those of us who have something to give to improve our communities have an obligation to give it."
From founding the organization and providing space in his basement for SCAN’s first offices... from serving on the organization’s Board of Directors and recruiting new members with expertise and energy to grow the organization... to making generous personal donations and speaking on behalf of the organization to other prospective donors and sponsors, Dave Cleary has been a vital source of vision, strength, and support advancing SCAN of Northern Virginia’s ability to make a difference for children and families during the last 20 years.