MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – On any given weekday, David J. Walker can be found in classrooms, conference rooms, and RV dealerships throughout North America, training RV, marine, and auto electronics technicians to expertly install, update, and repair TracVision and TracPhone systems from KVH Industries. Dealers and other RV professionals nationwide will soon benefit from Mr. Walker and his vast mobile communications and satellite TV knowledge as he joins the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) Industry Education Committee (IEC). By becoming the IEC’s first member from a satellite TV antenna manufacturer, Mr. Walker joins an elite team of experts who are tasked with enhancing the quality of training for service technician personnel in the RV industry in order to enhance the value of RV ownership through efficient maintenance, diagnosis, and repairs.

“I am honored to accept the IEC’s invitation and am excited to join the RVIA in its mission to continually improve the training that industry service personnel receive,” says Walker. “The committee is responsible for ensuring that RV technicians in the field are trained to offer every RV owner the best service and easiest operation possible. That mission fits right in with KVH’s training philosophy and the approach we take to training technicians to install and repair our products. Our robust national training program has received very positive feedback from those who attend sessions with me or with our other trainers, and I look forward to sharing our unique experience and perspective with technicians nationwide.”

The RVIA Industry Education Committee performs several important functions for association members, and for the industry as a whole. As a member, Mr. Walker will use his experience as KVH’s lead trainer to help build upon the RVIA’s training curriculum, which is constantly updated to cover all aspects of an RV technician’s job in detail.

In addition to monitoring and evaluating the RVIA’s training programs, the committee also reviews textbooks, supports outside schools and training programs for RV service technicians, and works to promote public recognition of the RV service technician career field. As the first and only IEC member from a satellite TV antenna manufacturer, Mr. Walker is uniquely suited to provide a wealth of practical knowledge throughout the curriculum development process, and to the electronics portion of the training in particular. Mr. Walker estimates that he has trained well over 5,000 technicians in the RV, automotive, and auto customization industries, giving him a unique and solid perspective on the training needs of these professionals.

Prior to joining KVH, Mr. Walker served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years, as an oceanographer with another government agency for seven years, and is a licensed ship captain. He speaks Arabic, Farsi, and Italian fluently, teaches at the Newport Naval War College in Newport, RI, and served in Iraq for two years. Perhaps most intriguing, Mr. Walker was one of seven individuals who received the U.S. Navy’s Bronze Star for his leadership aboard the U.S.S. Samuel B. Roberts after it struck an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf in April, 1988. The story of this ship and its crew, including Mr. Walker, is chronicled in No Higher Honor, a nonfiction book by Bradley Peniston, the managing editor of Defense News (www.defensenews.com).

“We couldn’t be more proud to have Dave Walker on the RVIA education committee,” said Jim George, KVH’s director of satellite sales. “He is one of our most valuable assets because of his dedication to thorough, complete, hands-on training for RV service technicians. Now, his unique experience will be of great benefit to a wider audience, covering a wider range of subjects with the RVIA.”