David is an environmental anthropologist interested in promoting sustainable land management for the benefit of local communities, biodiversity, and broader ecosystem services. He has lived in Southeast Asia for a total of 18 years while holding a variety of teaching, research, and program management positions based at or affiliated with the World Agroforestry Centre, the International Rice Research Institute, Visayas State University, Yale NUS College, National University of Singapore, Andalas University, and others. David holds a B.A. in political science and history from Northwestern University, a M.S. in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a M.Phil. and Ph.D. from the joint program in forestry & environmental studies and anthropology at Yale University. In addition to his work with ELTI, David is also a cofounder and president of a Philippines-based nonprofit organization, Restoration Initiative for Sustainable Ecosystems, and a founding board member of a US-based nonprofit, Reforest our Future.