McIver earned a BA in Art Education from the University of Texas at El Paso, a BFA in Painting from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and an MFA from the New York Academy of Art. He has taught at the Barrett Art Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, and the Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York. A recipient of a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship, he has participated in numerous group exhibitions throughout the US.