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David Pennington

Class of 1986 

I began attending North County Christian School back in 1980...WOW, it’s been a long time.  During the next several years, I made a number of lifelong friends and was truly educated well beyond what I realized at the time.  Some of the mentors that I remember in particular are Mr. Randy Burns, Mrs. Sharon Keffer and Mr. Ken Rankin.  They were preparing me for things that I certainly didn’t think I was capable of.  

I graduated in 1986 and spent the next few years at Missouri Baptist College and University of Missouri.  I obtained my first job in healthcare in 1988.  In 1993, I joined the Air Force, also in the field of healthcare.  During those years, I was blessed with two daughters, Megan and Cassie Pennington, who are now 21 and 19 years of age; they currently live in Nashville, Tennessee. 

In the Air Force, I was stationed in Columbus, Mississippi, which was culture shock to say the least but it grew on me.  I quickly learned how the South works and grew to love it.  After my service in the USAF, I went back to school - nursing school.  After graduating, I moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and began working in critical care.  I was a nurse for a VERY long time….a whole year and a half.  It was at that point that I jumped into the business side of surgery and medicine and never looked back.  I spent the next several years working my way up through sales, marketing, clinical development, medical writing, research and operations within the business of healthcare.  

About a year ago, I launched my own company, Optix International, which is a full-line provider of human tissue and biologics for the field of ophthalmology. Our mission is to provide human tissue and biologics to assist in helping those with disease states in the field of vision.  We also are in business to accomplish
the task of assisting tissue donors and their families fulfill the wishes of their loved ones.    I am also a Senior Vice President at a media and marketing cooperative for healthcare called 1-800-DOCTORS and a General Manager of the subsidiary, The Ophthalmology Network.  I am part-owner or a partner in a number of different organizations in healthcare such as a couple of compounding pharmacies, a biologics company and an amniotic stem cell company (not embryonic).  The newest venture I’m really excited about is launching my own pharmacy for the field of ophthalmology.  

Over the past 20 years, I have been given the opportunity to travel the globe, which still includes weekly travel around the US.  Fifteen years ago it was still a lot of fun but I am currently into month seven of a 36 month plan to stop traveling altogether and I can’t wait to see what is going to be next.  I really have little to no idea what I’m going to do at that point.  I told Randi (my wife) this morning that I think it might be fun to be a crop duster, you just never know.  
I have been blessed to do so many interesting things.  I was a DJ for a few years in college, I played drums in several bands, co-owned a convenience store, was a consultant on a Hollywood movie called 21 Grams, owned a small tennis racquet stringing business, campaigned for various politicians and was one of the only human beings in an airplane the night of September 11 (organ transplant flight).   I have been given the opportunity to serve on many boards of directors, most notably for me, The American Liver Foundation and The National Kidney Foundation.  I have been afforded the opportunity to obtain degrees in Biology, Nursing, a Masters and a Doctorate. During the entirety of my career since High School, I have in one form or another been involved in healthcare – for 27 years now -  and don’t imagine I will change professions, although God is in control so who knows.  

Four years ago, I met and married the most incredible woman on our planet (and most beautiful inside and out), Randi.  Our first date was a Memphis Grizzlies game (how lame is that) and we have been inseparable ever since. She is an interior designer, but as of 2012, took on a much tougher job:  stay-at-home Mom.  She works a great deal harder than I do every day of the week. Our son, Liam, was born in August, 2012, and we are currently expecting our second child, a little girl, in May of 2015.  We live in Lakeland, Tennessee, just east of Memphis; but it looks like we may be heading back to St. Louis sometime in the summer of 2015.  

I’ve thought often of my time spent at NCCS.  When I came to North County Christian School, I was going in the wrong direction, but God had a plan and still does.  As a direct result of being surrounded by Godly mentors during my time at NCCS, I have kept my passion for living a Christ-like life.  
I have made mistakes over the years, but still have the desire to serve the Lord.  I am extremely grateful for the experiences that I had at NCCS, and the many teachers and mentors that put up with my shenanigans and truly cared about my experience and my future.  The dues that those people paid have 
been realized by me many times over the years and I hope that they all realize how much of an impact they had on me, and as a result, on my family.