Dave was born in Oakland, California, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He first discovered glassblowing while studying music at UC Santa Cruz, and went on to earn a BFA in Glass from CSU Chico. While in school Dave supplemented his education by attending various workshops at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, and the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington, where he also worked as a seasonal staff member. He currently lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.