Pastor David came to Luther in August of 2001.  He loves working with students as they discover their gifts, prepare for their vocation in life, and live out their faith in learning, worship, service, and action.  Prior to coming to Luther, David served St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Batesville, Ind. and worked in youth ministry at First Lutheran Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Active in advocacy and study around immigration issues and youth development, Pastor David has spoken at various regional and national youth events, including serving as keynote for the ELCA Youth Gathering in Atlanta, Georgia, ELCA Global Mission Glocal events around the country, and others.

Pastor David is the author of Out of the Waters: Resisting the Power of Fear, a Bible study on the book of Exodus, published by the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services and 1 and 2 Samuel from the Books of Faith Bible Study Series by Augsburg Fortress Publishers. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Texas Lutheran University and a master's degree in divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He received his Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching (D. Min) through the Association of Chicago Theological Schools.

Pastor David is married to Dr. Karla Suomala, who teaches in the Religion Department at Luther College. They have two children, Dawit and Meheret.