Dana oversees several of iDE’s country portfolios for both business development and operations, bringing more than twelve years of experience and knowledge in programmatic and operational compliance; donor engagement; and technical support on gender, nutrition, and food security integration into programming. Dana’s passion for this work comes from an early age of exposure to intense income inequality and small-scale agricultural production while living in Central America in a military family. Later, she discovered her own joy found in producing food and “getting her hands in the dirt.” These two things led to both academic and career choices as she studied ecology and anthropology at the University of Georgia to understand the dynamic intersection between communities and the food they grow.

After several years of farming in her early career, Dana went on to earn her MA in International Development at the University of Denver with a focus on food systems and gender. She has managed agricultural and food security programs in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition to her work with iDE, Dana serves as the President of the Board for Artisan’s Thrive, a social enterprise she co-founded that works to empower women with skills and knowledge and access to higher value markets. When she is not at work, Dana is at home with her growing family and playing in her garden or practicing her banjo skills.