Dave was born in Grand Rapids and is the youngest of six children. He graduated as valedictorian from Lowell High School and worked on a neighboring dairy farm to pay his way through college. Dave has a Bachelor of Science in Public Resource Management from Michigan State University.

An avid outdoorsman, Dave loves to hunt, fish, camp, and experience Michigan's beautiful natural resources. He and his wife, Sarah, have a two-year-old daughter, Jane.