Having been an attorney for 27 years, Dave embodies the belief that the law can improve the lives of everyone by employing his expertise to help create a more equitable society. Dave is an accomplished nonprofit leader, public servant, political strategist, educator, and community builder. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College and a master’s in environmental science and J.D. from Indiana University. He has served as Executive Director for Legal Aid of Nebraska, the Autism Action Partnership, and the Maya Economic Development Corporation. A hallmark of Dave’s work has been making organizations more effective and strengthening their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Dave started at Legal Aid of Nebraska as the Director of Litigation and was quickly promoted to Executive Director. Under his leadership, Legal Aid founded a statewide health law project and created the Nebraska Immigration Legal Assistance Hotline. Dave’s work there resulted in an expanded board, a bigger presence across the state, and a significant increase in the organization’s budget. At the Autism Action Partnership, Dave helped develop the Autism Legal Clinic and the Partnership for Autism Career Employment. As the inaugural Executive Director at the Maya Economic Development Corporation, he grew the start-up into a sustainable organization and managed the transition to the next leader, who is Indigenous Q’Anjob’al Maya.
From 2018-2020, Dave was the campaign manager and finance director for a candidate who won the Democratic nomination in two prominent U.S. House races, which gained a great deal of national attention and raised more money than any other Democratic campaign in the history of the state. He was the campaign manager for a mayoral race and also the Democratic Nominee for Douglas County Attorney. In addition, Dave co-founded the We Have the People Political Action Committee to support candidates in the Midwest.
He has served in a number of prominent board positions. He was appointed vice chair of the publicly elected Board of Governors of Metropolitan Community College, one of the top 10 community colleges in the country. He was also the board chair of the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands, the premier organization serving nonprofits in the Heartland. He also served as Vice President of Kara Eastman Partners, a nonprofit consulting firm. Currently Dave is the President of the board of Omaha Permaculture, a board member of the Nebraska Lawyers Trust Account Foundation, a board member of the Maya Economic Development Corporation.
An Adjunct Professor for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Dave teaches classes in environmental law and policy and environmental sustainability. He has provided dozens of workshops and public presentations on nonprofit leadership and legal issues for nonprofits.
Dave is a single father of two incredible children, Miles and Lyndon, and husband to Jill Pantos, a nurse at the VA in Omaha. In his free time, he volunteers as an eviction defense lawyer for the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Tenant Assistance Project. He is also an avid gardener, runner, vegetarian chef, birder, and fan of music.
Pronouns: he/him/his
