About David Bowles

David is a nationally recognized public health communications strategist and the President of CMRignite, one of the nation’s leading cause marketing agencies. With close to 15 years of experience leading award-winning behavior change campaigns, he brings deep expertise across health, social impact and government sectors.

As co-founder of the Opioid Use & Reduction (O.U.R.) Alliance, David is able to leverage his expertise to help cities and states develop impactful solutions. In addition, he is able to leverage his network of to bring together public agencies, healthcare providers and community organizations around prevention and harm reduction.

Throughout his career, David has led national, regional and local public health campaigns that have focused on substance use prevention, mental health, maternal health and health access. He is a respected advisor, speaker and consultant, known for creating grounded strategies that move people from awareness to action. His passion for educating and empowering communities is evident in campaigns he has spearheaded for a range of federal, local, state government, corporate, and nonprofit clients including the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

He is proud of CMRignite’s midwestern roots, and his visionary leadership has positioned the agency to scale to a national footprint. Today, CMRignite serves clients across the country including, but not limited to: the City of Milwaukee’s Department of Public Works, Children’s Wisconsin Hospital, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Wisconsin Lottery, Northwestern Mutual, Harley Davison, GE Healthcare, and Donate Life Wisconsin.

Under David’s leadership, CMRignite has won numerous awards for national and state public education campaigns, most recently including the HERMES Awards, Association of Marketing and Communication Association’s MarCom Awards, and USDA’s Small Business Contractor of the Year. CMRignite also developed the brand and public education materials for USDA’s Food & Nutrition Service in partnership with Crosby Marketing, which won the 2025 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Award of Excellence for the National Campaign to Launch USDA’s Summer Nutrition Programs for Kids (SUN Programs).

David received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Financial Economics from Columbia University in New York City. He currently serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and was recognized as a 40 under 40 honoree by the Business Journal.