Date : Thursday, May 7, 2026
Time: 12:15
Location: Roswell Area Park
Bill Johnson Community Activity Building
10495 Woodstock Road
Roswell, GA 30075

The Roswell Rotary Club is pleased to welcome William Dale “Dave” Cardwell, a six‑time Emmy Award–winning investigative journalist and consumer advocate whose career spans four decades and some of the most impactful reporting in the Southeast.

Born in 1962 in Greenville, Kentucky, Cardwell began his broadcasting career at WKAG in Hopkinsville before moving into investigative roles that would define his professional life. Cardwell first gained national attention for his reporting on the 1985 crash of a U.S. Army–chartered jet in Gander, Newfoundland, which killed 248 Fort Campbell soldiers. His coverage propelled him into a prominent investigative position with the CBS affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama, followed by reporting stints at WRAL‑TV in Raleigh/Durham and WSMV‑TV in Nashville. In 1996, he joined consumer advocate Clark Howard at WSB‑TV in Atlanta, forming one of the country’s most successful consumer reporting teams. Their work earned numerous awards and helped Cardwell develop deep expertise in identifying financial scams and distinguishing legitimate products and services from those that are “too good to be true.”

WSB‑TV expanded Cardwell’s role in the early 2000s to include investigations into political corruption and taxpayer abuse. His reporting saved Georgia taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and contributed to the removal or prosecution of several public officials. His work also carried personal risk: in 2001, Cardwell and his family were placed under police protective custody after he appeared on a “hit list” connected to his investigations in DeKalb County.

In 2009, Cardwell founded TrustDALE, an online research and referral platform built on a seven‑point investigative standard he developed from decades of analyzing consumer harm. Companies certified by TrustDALE are backed by the TrustDALE Make It Right Guarantee, offering consumers an added layer of protection. Today, Cardwell hosts TrustDaleTV, a consumer problem‑solving program airing multiple times each week in Atlanta, Tampa, and Dallas, as well as TrustDale Radio, heard across five states and nationally on iHeart Radio. He also owns and operates TrustDale.com, where consumers can access vetted recommendations across numerous service categories.

Cardwell briefly stepped away from journalism in 2008 to run for the United States Senate in Georgia, centering his campaign on reducing the influence of special‑interest financing. Although he was eliminated in the primary, the campaign reflected his long‑standing commitment to public accountability and consumer protection.

We look forward to hearing Dave Cardwell share insights from his investigative career, his consumer advocacy work, and the lessons he has learned from four decades of helping citizens navigate complex financial and service decisions.