Dave Hoover, Obtiva’s chief craftsman, Ruby, Rails and agile aficionado, is passionate about learning and has dedicated years of his career to studying, writing and speaking about software apprenticeship and craftsmanship. He is also energized by recruiting awesome new talent to work with us in Chicago. Dave became a principal at Obtiva in 2007.

Most people don’t leave a career in child and family therapy to become software developers, but we all know that Dave isn’t “most people.” It started when Dave, then a full-time therapist with a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, decided to earn a little extra money by authoring the “Teen Advice Guide” on About.com. This meant teaching himself enough HTML to get the job. Soon, he found himself energized by his work with About.com. He learned some Javascript, expanded his skill set, and fell in love with the creative act of developing software. He came to the realization that he wanted to pursue programming full-time, and after much soul-searching, he resigned from his therapist position. He dove headfirst into crafting software and worked for a variety of organizations before joining Obtiva in 2006. The insights he gleaned working at both entrepreneurial startups and well established organizations translate into broad-based expertise and diverse insights for Obtiva clients.

Working alongside Kevin Taylor since Obtiva’s formative years, Dave played a vital role in shaping the Obtiva culture and conceptualizing the software studio. His efforts have helped to ensure the enduring success of elements like Geekfest and the Obtiva apprenticeship program. Most days you'll find Dave leading projects on Ruby and Rails for clients.

Dave is the author of the book “Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman,” which has been published in multiple languages and garnered a strong following. Meanwhile, his own readings have revealed that his work as a therapist is applicable in many ways to his work as a software developer, delighting him to see the convergence of his two passions.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wheaton College and a master’s degree from Seattle Pacific University. He is married to his college sweetheart and delights in her brilliant wit and humor, which leaves him dissolved in fits of laughter. They live in Wheaton, Ill. with their three children.