Dennis Allan MacDonald was born in Merritt, BC to Lester MacDonald and Kelly (Caroline) MacDonald (Tom).
He graduated from Eastglen Composite high school and went on to complete a Forestry Diploma from the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT). He is a Registered Forest Technologist (RFT) with the Association of British Columbia Forest Professionals (ABCFP).
As a leader, Dennis envisions Upper Nicola Band to be self-sustaining and provide all services such as health, education, and employment to create a good standard of living for all band members.