David W. Nelms was born in 1961. He grew up in St. Petersburg, FL and graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Nelms went on the Harvard Business School and graduated with his MBA in 1987.David Nelms is the current Chief Executive Officer of Discover Financial, and has held this position since 2004. Overall he has been with the company since 1998. From 1991-1998 Nelms served as an executive for MBNA. In addition he also worked for Progressive Insurance.