David Leiva is a New Orleans native, veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and holds a master’s degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi. David has lived abroad in the Middle East and Europe and conducted a study abroad in Panama.  He works in the FEMA Region 4 Joint Field Office and holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard. He serves on the faculty at the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy and the Master of Public Administration program.

David is currently a doctoral student studying international economics. David is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Naval War College. David also serves as provisional member of the Board of Advisors to the Artic Domain Awareness Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence housed at the University of Alaska Anchorage.