David grew up in south Louisiana outside of New Orleans where his connection to the natural world was formed. As a young kid in high school, he explored the pine bogs, hiked bottomland swamps, and explored the bayous that connect the land to the Gulf of Mexico. Once in college at LSU, he studied Environmental Science (BS) and Oceanography (MS). During these years, he became involved in environmental and social justice activism, made frequent expeditions to Big Bend National Park with friends, and spent summers volunteering and traveling in Central America.
This international experience inspired David and his wife Julianna to buy “round-the-world” tickets, where they backpacked for 6 months traveling in India, hiking in the Nepal Himalaya, and traversing Indonesia. The itch to learn from other cultures resulted in David eventually spending 10+ years in Niger and Ghana with the US Peace Corps. Overall, he worked 25+ years in the environmental field and in international development/conservation in West and Central Africa.
For the last 11 years, David has pursued a second career teaching high school science at Winooski High School in Vermont, helping to build the next generations of science learners. After the COVID shutdown, he began hiking the Long Trail to re-energize and reset. It was a transformative experience. Since then, he has organized day hikes for his students in partnership with the GMC, and is currently co-facilitating the Winooski high school outdoor club. In 2025, he succeeded in completing the last section hike of his LT journey. David is excited to support and strengthen this unique natural treasure we have in Vermont, encourage more youth to explore it, and expand GMC’s educational programs.
