David Leake went through grade school watching the Apollo Moon missions in class which gave him an initial interest in the space program. In fifth grade, he saw his first constellation which begin a lifelong interest in astronomy. After majoring in physics as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, Dave worked in industry for six years before taking a pay cut to live the dream and work at a planetarium. Dave has been sharing the stars with kids of all ages at the Staerkel Planetarium in Champaign, Illinois for 24 years. He also serves as current president (and co-founder) of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society and current president of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association.