Before he was old enough to go to school, David started watching Zorro, Robin Hood, and The Three Musketeers. Errol Flynn was his TV hero and though he was very shy, when he put on his mask, he felt fearless.

After graduating with a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire, David earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and quickly landed a faculty position at the University of Montevallo where he was told to teach the very thing he dreaded - public speaking.

Inspired by the adage 'There is no better way to learn than to teach' David buckled down and conquered his fear. With his newly developed speaking skills, he moved on to faculty positions at the University of Maryland, Northern Kentucky University, Brandeis University, and the world-famous Juilliard School in New York City.

Along the way, David learned the art of swordplay from Patrick Crean, the man who choreographed his boyhood TV hero Errol Flynn. Over the next 30 years, David staged the fights for dozens of Broadway productions and numerous celebrities including Daniel Craig, Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Plummer, Hillary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Raul Julia, and many more.

When he became the proud father of Jesse and Marin, David joined the theatre faculty as Professor and Chair at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). As Chair, he developed the nation's most reputable graduate program in performance pedagogy - the practice of teaching. David is very proud of the nearly 40 former students who currently hold university professorships.

David retired as VCU Professor Emeritus and co-founded the Critical Communications Group. He currently serves as adjunct faculty in the VCU Executive Master of Business Administration program where he teaches presentation skills. His Real-World Presentations ebooks are used by thousands of people across the U.S.

David would like to express his appreciation to the following people who mentored, taught, and/or inspired him at various times in his life: Patrick Crean, Michael Kahn, Jack Wann, Tom Behm, Roy Prevost, Dale Kirby, Charles Harbour and Carol Lucha.