A community organizer who happens to be a lawyer.

Dave is the Executive Director of Disability Advocates of Kent County, which works alongside people with disabilities as they seek to lead self-directed lives, and advocates for accessible and welcoming communities. First and foremost, he is a community organizer who also happens to be a licensed attorney.

Dave has been with Disability Advocates since 1995. He served first as Disability Rights Coordinator, then Associate Director, and has been Executive Director since January 2000. Over those years he has worked closely with state and federal law, teaching others how those laws shape the rights and responsibilities of the community and of people with disabilities. He has spent a great deal of time organizing and advocating for accessibility, better public transportation, and affordable housing across the Grand Rapids region.

Before Disability Advocates, Dave worked from St. Thomas Parish in Grand Rapids, St. James Parish in Novi, and the Free Legal Aid Clinic in Detroit.

Service to the community

Dave has been elected to serve his community twice over, and has lent his time to collaborations and boards across West Michigan.

Boards and collaborations

• Fair Housing Center of West Michigan
• Greater Grand Rapids Home & Building Association
• U.S. Commission on Civil Rights / Michigan State Advisory Committee

Closer to home

On the personal side of life, Dave is married to his wife, Melissa, and together they have three children: Sophie, Noah, and Lili. He has called the Grand Rapids area home for decades, and you are as likely to run into him on a neighbor’s front porch as at a county meeting.