Born in Port Chester, NY in Westchester County), Dan attended Horace Mann High School in the Bronx. He went on a 2 month road trip across the US with his family of 5 and a dog in a rented RV. Dan went to the Woodstock festival in 1969 and also saw many great bands play at his hometown's Capital Theater.

He attended the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia as an undergraduate and worked with father in a coffee/vending machine business for 15 years while attempting to launch an artist career as a painter. He couldn't make a living at it but did well enough to pay for lunch every day. The business was sold in 1992, Dan took his share, loaded up his gear into his van, and drove off into the sunset.

On his way out of town, he stopped at an animal shelter & picked out a 6 month old, 45 lb Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix for companionship and protection. He named her Highway. They traveled all over North America for 2 years, living and eating out of the van. Dan particularly sought out remote areas. He traveled with a book that had information on all the natural hot springs in North America, and sought out many of them. When Dan returned, he was deeply in credit card debt and worked for a marketing company for about a year. He noticed more than a few artist friends were becoming art teachers, including an old girlfriend who later became his wife.

Dan went to Columbia University's Teachers College for a Masters degree in Art Education. He got a part time job teaching elementary art in the Bethlehem school district, then at a charter school in Albany, and then he found his dream job at WAJ in 2001. Dan married Leslie in 1999 and bought their amazing home in Berne in 2000. Since then, they’ve been making their garden, making art, and making music.

Dan retired in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, but was called back to WAJ in 2023 to finish the school year after the tragic passing of the art teacher who took his place. Dan is looking forward to retiring again.

On each show, invited guests are asked to discuss a number of items that they would take with them to their Catskill Cabin get-away. As Mike and Andy discuss their chosen items, it is intended that you, the listener, will enjoy getting to know each guest that little bit better. This WGXC podcast is subscribable. An excerpt of this show often airs later on "All Together Now!" or on the "WGXC Morning Show." Before March, 2021, the show was called "Catskill Cabin Conversations."