Dan moved to Grass Valley with his family in 1962. He is a graduate of Nevada Union High School and Sierra College and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cal State University, Sacramento.

Dan served four terms as a member of the Grass Valley City Council - from 2003 to 2014, and from 1989-1996, and served as Mayor from 1991-1993 and in 2014. From 1997-2001, Dan served on the Grass Valley Planning Commission. In 2001 he was elected to the Nevada Joint High School District Board of Trustees and served as its President from 2003-2005. Dan has also served as President of the Sierra College Foundation, Nevada County Campus and on the Board of Directors for the Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors for the Nevada County Country Club

In 2014, Dan was elected to the Board of Supervisors, and was selected and Vice Chair and Chair in 2015 and 2016, respectively. As Supervisor, he also represents the Board on a number of Committees and Commissions including the Regional Housing Authority, Nevada LAFCo, and the County's representative to the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), where he serves as the 2^nd Chair. 

Dan and his wife Roxanne have two daughters, Lisa and Sonia, a son Brendon and four grandchildren. Dan is a self-employed insurance agent. In his spare time he enjoys playing golf with his wife and friends, travel and is a longtime Forty-Niner faithful and San Francisco Giants fan.