David Nesbitt (“Cha Cha”) was born in New York City on August 18, 1941. He graduated from Flushing High School in Flushing, New York, and then attended Morgan State College, where he was a two-sport athlete, playing both football and basketball. Nesbitt served as Groove Phi Groove’s first secretary in 1962. He helped to start the Fellowship because of the strong friendship that existed among the founders.
Nesbitt graduated from Morgan State in January 1965, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in English. After graduating, Nesbitt completed language training for the Peace Corps at the University of Arizona and served in the Peace Corps in Venezuela. After the Peace Corps, Nesbitt furthered his formal education by earning a Master’s degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. He ran the Model Cities Program for the city of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Nesbitt returned to the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area to work for the Rouse Company and its subsidiary, the American Cities Corporation, developers of the new town of Columbia, Maryland. He also spent 15 years consulting with various localities around the country, assisting them with downtown development and affordable housing projects. He is a partner with Senior Housing Partnership, developers of affordable tax credit senior housing.
Nesbitt is married to Laura Ann Conway. He has two children, Marc and Matthew, and three grandchildren, Liam, Shea, and Finn.
Nesbitt loves sports and takes an active role in helping to develop young athletes. He has coached soccer at the high school and collegiate levels for over 25 years and works with the Soccer Association of Columbia, where he has coached over 150 players who have gone on to play at universities and in the professional ranks. He also enjoys playing golf.
Nesbitt’s fondest Groove memory is of the founders themselves. He hopes that, in the future, Groove will continue to be a viable alternative on college campuses.
