Dan finished high school in 1978 graduating from Lakewood High in Jefferson County, Colorado. He attended Metropolitan State College in Denver, graduating in 1982 with a BS in Aerospace. Dan was then sworn into the United States Marine Corps where he served seven years as a Naval Aviator flying single-seat fighter aircraft. In 1989, having completed his commitment to the Corps, Dan was hired as an airline pilot at Northwest Airlines. (Now Delta Airlines). In 1990, seeking further military service, Dan was sworn in as an Air Force Reserve Officer with the South Dakota Air National Guard. There he operated single-seat fighter aircraft until retiring in 1996. In 2008 Dan was trained as a Federal Flight Deck Officer which allows him to operate a commercial airliner while carrying a firearm.

His interests include Christian activity, community involvement, outdoor sports, hunting, camping, and travel. Dan and his wife Heidi have been married since 1983 and they are blessed with two daughters, Tori and Leigh. They reside in the Ken Caryl community in Littleton, Colorado.