I am a country boy from Germany, with deep African roots.

David was born and raised near Ludwigsburg, Germany to a German mother and Moroccan father, so he is probably one of the few “Geroccans” in the world.  He grew up in a town of 1,500 people without a traffic light.  He is used to being unique, but not just in a small town – pretty much his entire life he has been the only Gerrocan in the room.  It has always provided him a unique perspective and curiosity; however, he didn’t realize he could be a global citizen when he grew up in that small village.

In his early years, he grew up in a single parent household that included significant support from his maternal grandparents.  His mother was a strict German mother who focused her son’s efforts on a good education as she was also one of his elementary school teachers.  His grandmother and grandfather instilled in him his love for skiing, being kind to other people and working hard to do things right and accomplish your goals. 

His mother instilled in him his love for travel, often dragging him, against his will, to various fascinating places across Europe while also teaching him the importance of being unique and not following the crowd. For example, in the 80s no one in Europe wore safety helmets while skiing, yet David had to wear a safety helmet or he could not ski (much to his chagrin); however, today it is unimaginable to have a child ski without a safety helmet (oddly enough, she had enough confidence in her own skiing abilities to have her 8 month old son on her back while skiing down the mountain).

In the late 80s, early 90s, after his mother married an American Soldier stationed near Stuttgart Germany, the family decided to move to Evansville, IN where David would attend high school and excel academically and athletically.  Growing up a soccer player in Germany, David also picked up basketball around age 13 and worked hard to become Captain of his basketball team during his senior year in high school.  To this day, basketball plays an important part of David’s life – both playing for recreational purposes and coaching young athletes the game.  Right around this time, David’s biological father re-emerged in his life and he began to learn more about Moroccan culture and his father’s profession – engineering and construction – sparking David’s inquiry into science, technology, business and entrepreneurship.

He works to combine his interests in travel, culture, people, and technology in both his personal and professional lives while attempting to provide opportunities for younger people to experience the world of opportunities that exist in today’s world.

His “Global Wooz” persona shares his unique perspective with the world through speaking engagements, the Wooz Watch Blog, and Social Media.