David Bear joins IHMC Board of Directors

Published 7.1.25

David Bear has joined the Board of Directors of the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, adding to his impressive business and civic resume.

“David has a wealth of experience in both business leadership and civic involvement, along with deep community ties and philanthropic vision,” says Dr. Morley Stone, IHMC’s Chief Executive Officer. “He will be a tremendous asset to IHMC and we are fortunate to have him join our Board of Directors.”

Bear is the owner and CEO of The Lewis Bear Company, a beverage distributorship founded in 1876 in Pensacola. Bear and his company founded Bear Family Foundation in 2002, which has awarded millions of dollars in grants to more than 118 local nonprofit organizations serving Northwest Florida.

“IHMC is one of the lesser-known jewels in the intellectual and economic landscape of Northwest Florida,” said Bear. “Over the years, I’ve watched the Institute expand and innovate, and I’ve become a great admirer of the research challenges it embraces. The opportunity to help share IHMC’s story with a broader audience is something I couldn’t pass up.”

In addition to his entrepreneurial success, Bear has built upon his family’s legacy of commitment to public service and community engagement.

From August 2021 until June of 2025, he served on the Board of Triumph Gulf Coast, the nonprofit corporation funded by a legal settlement the British oil and gas company BP following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Its purpose is to seed projects that will transform the regional economy.

Bear’s leadership extends beyond business into cultural and community development. He is the founder and Trustee Emeritus of Art, Culture, and Entertainment, Inc., and has held significant roles such as the current Chair of the Escambia County Tourist Development Council, Chair of the Florida Beer Wholesaler Association, and Chair of FloridaWest.

Additionally, he played a key role in founding the Foo Foo Festival, a fall event that celebrates the arts and culture as a driver of tourism in the community.

Bear is past president of the Boards for the Arts Council of Northwest Florida, Pensacola Museum of Art, Creative Learning Academy, and Pensacola MESS Hall. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Belhaven College.

IHMC is a not-for-profit research institute of the Florida University System where researchers pioneer science and technology aimed at leveraging and extending human capabilities. IHMC researchers and staff collaborate extensively with the government, industry and academia to help develop breakthrough technologies. IHMC research partners have included: DARPA, the National Science Foundation, NASA, Army, Navy, Air Force, National Institutes of Health, IBM, Microsoft, Honda, Boeing, Lockheed, and many others.