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Dana has 36 years of experience in college and library public relations with skills in communications, program development, and fundraising. She began her professional career as a high school Spanish teacher in TN and LA. She worked in public relations at Westminster College for 16 years while continuing to teach as an adjunct professor of Spanish. She left Westminster in 1999 to work as the public relations manager for the Salt Lake City Public Library System during the construction and opening of the award-winning Main Library. In 2005, Westminster asked her to return to campus to revitalize the alumni program, and to build parent relations and campus giving programs.
In 2011, in response to several lonely Jewish students at Westminster College, Dana launched Hillel for Utah, growing the organization to almost 200 students from Utah’s colleges and universities—primarily the University of Utah. Dana accepted her current role as executive director of Hillel for Utah in 2015, founded through the philanthropies of Adam R. Bronfman. In 2017, Dana transitioned Hillel for Utah to a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Dana and her husband are parents of two and have two grandchildren. Dana enjoys hiking with their border collie, travel, word games, gardening, and ethnic cooking. Passionate about Jewish and Israeli culture, she has also been featured on local television cooking shows and in newspaper articles on Jewish cuisine.
Elana began her employment at Hillel for Utah in 2019 as the Ezra Jewish Education Fellow, specializing in infusing Jewish learning into our Hillel experiences! She now works as the Director of Jewish Life, overseeing the student board, programs, and more!
Elana's favorite part of the job remains teaching
the Jewish Learning Fellowship (You can learn more about it here)
She is originally from the coast of North Carolina. Elana earned her AFA in Drama from College of the Albemarle and holds her BA in Communication Media from North Carolina State University. While in NC, Elana was the summer camp director at the Eastern 4-H Center.
Elana has a deep passion for learning, specifically women's wellness and spirituality. Her guilty pleasures include chai lattes, celebrity podcasts, and pasta