Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Dan is a retired Major General of the U.S. Army Reserve with over forty years of experience leading military and nonprofit organizations. As an Airborne, Air-Assault, Jungle, and Ranger School graduate, he commanded at every level; Platoon, Company, Battalion, Brigade and three different Divisions, two of which were nationwide commands. He led the successful activation and formation of the 76th Operational Response Command, a two-star command that is the Army Reserve’s only response command for homeland defense.

Dan is the founder and president of leadership coaching consultancy Strength as One Leadership, LLC and nonprofit leadership organization First Cause. Dan serves as a leadership coach, innovative and strategic thought leader, author, and certified CliftonStrengths coach to help leaders develop and improve the performance of their teams by addressing as needed character, strengths, risk management, change-reorganization, morale, and trust. Strong in ethics and building spirit and morale, Dan addresses international and national audiences on leadership and character development and is a sought-after motivational speaker.

Dan has trained senior military, political, business, and religious leaders nationally and internationally. He has pastored three churches in Oregon and is an artist with experience performing original music in concerts nationwide. In 2012, he founded VetREST, a nonprofit that specializes in providing farming and gardening opportunities for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS). He and his wife, Stacy, live near the southern Georgia coast with their two dogs. Dan has three children and seven grandchildren. An avid athlete, he enjoys pickleball, running 5K’s, golf, and hiking.