Dr. Thomas David Petite, who went by “David,” was born on May 30^th 1956, in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa tribe in Wisconsin, and his dad was a former Chief of the community. David was heavily influenced by the time he spent with his family, especially his father, as they taught him about his cultural heritage through their stories. Many of these stories shared were of Indigenous ancestors and their innovations to improve farming methods. Throughout his childhood, David would sit with his dad and tinker with radios, which led him to become fascinated with radio waves and wireless technology.

From this time on, David worked a lot with wireless technology. He created ways for devices to communicate with each other without using wires. His earliest invention, in 1984, was a personalized security system that was carried or worn by a person and could be activated with the push of a button. The device would send a signal to others so they could determine where to find the person who needs assistance.

In 1993, David founded StatSignal Systems, the first company to introduce wireless mesh technology to healthcare industries. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, David made significant contributions to the technology used in “Smart Meters” and the “Smart Grid” - such as the option for remote monitoring or controlling multiple devices at once. These systems helped manage electricity used in buildings and created more efficient ways to manage energy and other resources in general.

In 1994, David developed the Audio Internet Microlink (AIM), a communication system for the hearing impaired. This innovation helped convert spoken words into text, allowing for real-time communication and increasing accessibility for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

In 2009, David started the “Native American Intellectual Property Enterprise Council” (NAIPEC), an organization that helps young Indigenous inventors protect their inventions. David works with individuals to teach them about intellectual property, which is a creative invention or piece of work that a person or company can own the rights to. Along with this, he encourages creativity and sets up inventor competitions in schools because he believes anyone can invent and create with the right information and motivation.