Dana Grayson

About Dana Grayson

Strategic leader with 20+ years of experience managing high-impact teams, partnerships, and initiatives across education, consulting, and nonprofit sectors. Proven success in business development, fundraising, talent strategy, and systems change. Skilled at building strong partner relationships, leading cross-functional teams, and leveraging applied AI to drive organizational growth and optimize operational efficiency. Known for practical execution, thoughtful leadership, and delivering results in mission-driven environments.

Experience

1. Director, Teacher Workforce Systems

   WestEd

   Jul 2023 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   Lead strategy, development, and visibility for $5M national portfolio of projects advancing educator workforce policies and systems for states, districts, and educator preparation programs.Oversee cross-functional team collaboration and execution, partner and client engagement, and quality assurance, including multi-year philanthropic and public sector fundraising and organizational growth.Leverage AI tools to inform business development strategy—identifying trends, funding priorities, and prospective partners—while improving operational efficiency, outreach targeting, and market research.

Education

• New York University

  Bachelor of Arts, Journalism & Creative Writing

  2001 — 2002

• Pace University

  Master of Science in Teaching, Education & Teaching

  2003 — 2005

• Vassar College

  Sociology

  1997 — 1999

• New York University

  Master of Arts, Sociology of Education/Education Policy

  2006 — 2007

Skills

• Educational Leadership
• Proposal Writing
• Research
• Project Management
• Grant Writing
• Curriculum Development
• Event Planning
• Data Analysis
• Editing
• Training
• Teacher Training
• Staff Development
• Qualitative Research
• Curriculum Design
• Education Policy
• Policy
• Grants
• Teaching