Dave was one of the two camp counselors, working alongside Roxie at Camp Cretaceous at Jurassic World on Isla Nublar. Dave was described in the initial press release thus: ‘A slacker and a goofball, and somewhat of a prankster, hoping to be recognized for his comedic genius. Despite his carefree demeanor, Dave is a skilled paleontologist’.
Dave initially greeted the campers as they arrived on Isla Nublar via the South docks, introducing himself as a head counselor. However, Roxie arrives shortly afterward, revealing that the position was shared by two people. After all the campers arrived, Dave and Roxie would transport all of the children to Camp Cretaceous on a truck. The trek is briefly cut short as Dave stops the truck in an attempt to look for an escaped Compsognathus crossing the road.
After Roxie captured the wayward dinosaur, Dave and Roxie would complete the initial tour, as the group arrived at the camp. The pair go over the ground rules with the campers, and then went to contact the other park staff about the return of the escaped Compy. Dave and Roxie reassure Darius that he will have a chance to see more dinosaurs very soon, as they supervise a visit to Gyrosphere Valley to watch the dinosaurs being led to their enclosures, and ride the zip-line above the area.
That night, Dave and Roxie are present for the rescue of Darius and Kenji from the Velociraptor Pen, becoming angry at them for trespassing. The next morning, the co-counselors lecture the boys, warning them that they have one more chance or they will be terminated from the program. They task Darius and Kenji with cleaning up dinosaur poop while the rest of the group take a tour of the Field Genetics Lab.
Dave and Roxie have to remind Dr. Henry Wu that the group had the appointment to visit the labs. Dave appears to be overtly friendly to Wu, much to his annoyance, and also points out that one of the eggs is ready, just before Bumpy hatches. The group is forced to leave the labs early due to Brooklynn’s breaking into Wu’s office, and the counselors pick up Kenji and Darius and bring them back to the camp for the night.
The next morning, Dave and Roxie guide the campers to Gyrosphere Valley, for an activity that involves rounding up the dinosaurs as park personnel leads them to fresh grazing grounds. Dave and Roxie both encourage Darius to try harder to bond with the group, although quickly decide to cut the activity short due to the onset of a storm. As the storm interferes with the radio, they both drive on ahead to talk to the other staff. While they are separated from the children, they are unaware of the stampede until their car is totaled by a Sinoceratops, as they hide underneath a rock. They do not catch up with the campers until later, admonishing them for their actions and for causing a dangerous incident.
The next morning, Dave and Roxie attempt to contact Claire Dearing regarding the children’s misadventures in the park. However, due to her voicemail being full, they decide to try to speak to her in person, despite Dave’s protests about leaving them alone, even for a few hours. He and Roxie leave a note for the campers reassuring them that they will be back soon.
Dave and Roxie are confined to a waiting room as they wait for their turn to speak with Claire. They argue over no one coming to speak with them, as Dave wishes to wait, even as he sign’s Eddie’s birthday card. However, after Roxie’s discovery of the radios and the emerging situation in the park, they make an attempt to try to reach the kids via radio.
After an unsuccessful attempt by both of them to alert Headquarters, they decide to steal a park vehicle in an attempt to pursue the kids. The counselors reach the entrance to the River Adventure but find out after checking their tablet that the campers are in the lagoon and race back to the main park area. They narrowly miss the children again at the Mosasaur Feeding Show, although they spot the kids passing by them on the monorail. They flee for the docks at the approach of the Carnotaurus.
As Dave and Roxie reach the docks, they fail to raise the children on the radio, resolving to wait for them. However, once they arrive at the docks, they are forced to evacuate with the rest of the tourists, as security strongly discourages them from leaving. As they are forcibly evacuated, Dave and Roxie are seen struggling with the security onboard the boat in an attempt to try to turn back.
