Dana was born in Brooklyn, New York and spent her childhood years in big cities including
Chicago and Miami. She completed her undergraduate degrees in journalism and communications
at Indiana University Bloomington. Through campus involvement, she found her passion
for student development and completed her masters in college student affairs and leadership
at Loyola University Chicago. She came to Grand Rapids in the late 90s to serve as
the director of student activities at Aquinas College.
A lifelong learner, she continued her education at Western Michigan University earning
a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership in 2011. Most recently, she was a career counselor
and director of academic advising at another local institution. She teaches a Career
Development class designed for upper-class students and also advises both students
and alumni on resumes, cover letter writing, job search strategies, interviewing skills,
and other areas related to career exploration and development. Dana also works with
individual employers and a number of college consortiums, to develop recruitment strategies
and to help broaden the scope of employment opportunities for Aquinas students. She
is an active member of the advising communities in the National Association of Academic Advising and also attends NACE and AHRM events to continuous learn how to better serve AQ students. Dana and her partner,
Michael, have three children. One of them is an AQ Saint!
