Dalton was born in Panama City, FL, where his parents taught him to love the outdoors and everything that is a part of it. He went to Huntingdon College and earned a B.S. in General Biology while playing soccer and tennis for the college. After college, he started volunteering with the E.O. Wilson Center, where they offered him a job as an Environmental Educator/ Wildlife Biologist in September 2009. Dalton became the Assistant Director of the Center in 2018 and the Executive Director in 2022.