Between 2016 and 2022, David held the position of Festival Advisor for The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon (2016–2022), for whom he co-authored Festival and Events Scheme Review 2004–2017 and co-curated the Change Makers conference (University of Limerick, Feb 2020). During the Covid pandemic David curated and moderated a series of online fora for Irish festival makers, to facilitate intra-festival sharing of information and help develop the skills required to enable festivals to sustain their operations during the different phases of lockdown (Talking Festivals, May 2020; Pathways 21, April 2021; and Pathways 22, April 2022)

In 2020 David was awarded a PhD by University College Dublin for research on contemporary artists who invite community participation in the co-creation and co-authorship of artistic projects. He has been a regular lecturer on arts management and cultural policy Masters courses at Birkbeck University of London, University of Limerick, University of Galway and University College Dublin. In 2019 David co-founded the Irish Arts Festival Archive (IAFA), which is part of the UCD Cultural Heritage Collections, held in UCD Library. He is a member of the international research network Brokering International Exchange for whom he co-organised the Co-learning Lab series in 2021.

Outside of his professional life, David is an avid gardener, a woodworking enthusiast and a committed environmentalist. He lives in Co Tipperary with artist, creative producer and festival maker Theresia Guschlbauer. Together, over the last thirty-five years, they have been committed to maintaining a sustainable lifestyle with a low carbon footprint. During this time, they have renovated their traditional Irish farm house and outbuildings, and tended the four acre site, including establishing a two acre native woodland.