Previously, David was assistant professor at the University of North Dakota. David received his Ph.D. in education policy studies at Indiana University Bloomington, and his dissertation examined international student leadership self-efficacy on host campuses. David received both his undergraduate degree and joint M.B.A./J.D. degree from IU, and practiced law in Indianapolis before returning to IU for doctoral studies in 2011. David also has a master of advanced legal studies (LL.M. adv.) in European & international business law from Leiden University in the Netherlands as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship recipient.