He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from St. Michael's College (Winooski, Vermont), a Master of Military Arts and Science in Military History from the Command and General Staff College (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas), and a Master of Science in International Relations from Troy University (Troy, Alabama). He has also completed a wide variety of military-related professional development resident courses.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Korea Service Medal, Airborne, Air Assault, and the Expert Infantryman Badges.

His has held assignments in various duty positions across the United States, South Korea, and as an Exchange Officer to the British Army. He has deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom twice, to both Kuwait and Iraq. Before taking command of the Yakima Training Center in July 2009, he served three years as the Professor of Military Science at Oregon State University.

LTC Daniels is currently the garrison commander at YTC, a position that can be likened to that of a town/city manager. He leads a workforce of 300+ Department of the Army civilians with an annual budget of over $20M, and executes contracts and construction projects in excess of $20M annually.

LTC Daniels is married to the former Ms. Emily McDaniel from Tacoma, Washington. They have two children, Benjamin (19) and Katherine (17). LTC Daniels and his wife and daughter currently reside in Selah since 2009, where he is active with the Chamber of Commerce and in a number of local groups and initiatives.