David Leece is a scientist and has made a significant contribution to environmental and agricultural governance in NSW, as well as to defence & security services over many decades.

At the age of 17, he joined the Australian Army as a soldier and stayed in the military for many years. He worked for the United States Marine Corps (company C first battalion 24th marine regiment 4th marine division) while pursuing his PhD in phytophysiology.

David was also part of the first military delegation to visit China in 1982.

In Australia he established the discipline of ecotoxicology referring to the study of chemicals in the environment. He was later instrumental in establishing the Australasian Society for Ecotoxicology which has now been renamed the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

He was executive director and chief scientist at the NSW Environmental Protection Authority in 1992-2002, and deputy commissioner of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission in 1990-2002 before becoming assistant commissioner of the Natural Resources Commission of NSW from 2004-08.

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David was awarded Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 2020.