David Wilson
UNI 150: People you should know
The first named college and a focus on ethics
When David W. Wilson decided to give back to the University of Northern Iowa, he did it in a way that would forever change the institution. His $25 million gift — the largest donation in UNI history — established the David. W. Wilson College of Business, marking the first named college at UNI and setting a new standard for excellence.
Long before Wilson became chairman and CEO of Wilson Automotive, one of the largest privately held auto dealership groups in the United States, Wilson was a small-town kid in Traer, first exposed to entrepreneurship through a paper route for the Des Moines Register and Waterloo Courier and mowing lawns.
Wilson attended UNI and worked a series of blue-collar jobs to pay for his way through college.
He graduated in 1970 with a degree in philosophy and a minor in business – a well-rounded education that challenged him to think deeply and ask hard questions.
Through determination and ethical leadership, Wilson rose from a lower-middle-class background to national success. He started in the service department of a car dealership, one day accidentally ruining the engine of a car. To pay them back, he picked up a job as a salesman, which eventually turned into a manager position.
After a plan fell through to start his own dealership with a friend, he packed his bags and moved to Arizona. When his car started making weird noises, the dealership quoted him a high repair bill, so he walked into the sales office and got a job to secure an employee discount!
Four years later, he was a partner in that dealership and eventually owned 12 dealerships.
In 1999, he established the Wilson Chair of Business Ethics, marking the first million-dollar donation received by the College of Business. The endowed faculty position has since educated generations of students about ethical decision-making and served as a trusted resource on business ethics for the wider community.
“David Wilson is an impressively inquisitive man,” said Farzad Moussavi, emeritus dean of the College of Business. “He has inspired successive UNI presidents and business deans to reflect seriously on the important societal role that contemporary higher education must assume. So the College of Business is a better place, thanks to the hard questions Dave has been asking over the years.”
In 2005, he was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association, an organization that honors leaders who have achieved remarkable success despite facing adversity. Others to receive the honor include Ronald Reagan, Maya Angelou, Buzz Aldrin and Clarence Thomas.
Unveiled during UNI homecoming week in 2023, David’s historic gift fuels strategic initiatives and invests in faculty and students. It also established the Wilson Endowment for Integrity and Excellence, designed to advance business ethics education and ensure UNI graduates continue to thrive and lead in a rapidly changing business landscape. In addition, a portion of his gift established the Wilson Scholars Fund, providing renewable scholarships for students from Tama County, including Traer, his hometown.
“The things you appreciate most are those things that take the longest to achieve,” he said. “There is no better satisfaction than knowing you earned something,” Wilson said.
Celebrate 150 years of the University of Northern Iowa by nominating individuals who have made a significant impact on our campus, community and beyond.
