Dave was raised on a marina on the Catskill Creek. With a firm foundation rooted in the woods and waters of one America's first and finest natural treasures, he always held on to his reverence for the natural world. He spent four years as a Morse Systems Operator and Special Security Officer in the United States Air Force, which gave him the opportunity to travel across the country and to Europe and the Middle East. Dave then made his home in the Washington D.C. metro area and soon began working for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). He assisted TNC fundraising staff in all 50 states in developing strategies, cash receipting, and database/systems management in addition to managing the development and production of more than 3 million pieces of direct mail monthly. In 2001 he and Kelly Keck (who were married in 2005) purchased a 169-acre former dairy farm in Stamford with the intention of creating a sanctuary for flora, fauna and humans alike. They founded Goldenheart Unidiversity where art and spirit combine to raise awareness of the human impact on our planet.