Dana joined the Women's Fund in 2024. She moved to Santa Barbara in 2018. She grew up in Virginia, Okinawa, and then settled in the Boston area, earning a B.A. in Political Economy, Magna Cum Laude, from UMass/Amherst. She moved to Santa Monica in 1985, did retail management, fiber arts, and then pursued her education and training in Digital Design from UCLA, and an M.A. in Educational Technology. At Pepperdine University, Dana developed and served as the advisor for the multimedia digital arts program, while serving as a professor of Digital Arts and Design. She continues to teach design, sewing, quilting, and art to many in Santa Barbara, while designing bags and customized textiles – a lifelong love. She was previously a V.P. of Activities for Newcomers, and serves on the board of the Media Arts and Design program at Santa Barbara High School.