CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, February 05, 2024 - Dana Diandra Laurens has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Ms. Laurens joined her alma mater, the University of Virginia, in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy in 2022 as an assistant director of career services and alumni engagement. Responsible for providing one-on-one career advising to 400 undergraduate and graduate students on campus, she helps students acquire jobs and internships in public policy. She has also developed a unique program and strategy regarding alumni engagement. Additionally, Ms. Laurens has served as a Staff Senator at the university since 2023 and is a former board member of the Batten School's alumni advisory board.

Having previously worked for several other leading organizations, Ms. Laurens came from Education Reform Now as a senior associate, then as a national deputy director for advocacy, policy engagement, and partnerships in Washington, D.C., between 2017 and 2022. The organization is recognized as a non-partisan, nonprofit think tank and advocacy organization geared at improving outcomes for students of color and students from low-income families. Ms. Laurens also found success with South Carolina Campaign for Achievement Now as a state policy and advocacy director and deputy director from 2014 to 2016 and with Charleston Promise Neighborhood as an education initiatives program manager between 2013 and 2014. During an earlier stage of her career, she was a special education teacher at James Island Charter High School of the Charleston County School District and a general education and special education teacher at ReNew Cultural Arts Academy Public Charter School and KIPP New Orleans Leadership Academy, beginning in 2010.

Ms. Laurens' most significant career accomplishments in the education sector have notably included her contributions to the state of South Carolina. As an educator, community organizer, and statewide education policy advocate member of an advocacy organization for five years, she was instrumental in making K-12 public school reporting systems more transparent, equitable, and informative to parents and the community.

Passionate about giving back to her current community of Charlottesville, Virginia, Ms. Laurens has been on the board of trustees at Mountaintop Montessori since 2022. She also volunteers through her church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and makes annual donations to charitable organizations including the American Breast Cancer Foundation. Previously, Ms. Laurens was active in various leadership and volunteer roles with Women in Government Relations Inc., DreamWakers, TandemEd LLC, The Green Heart Project, and Education Leaders of Color.

Ms. Laurens is a first-generation American whose family migrated from Trinidad & Tobago when she was seven. She is also the first in her family to attend college. Following high school, she studied at the University of Virginia, acquiring a Bachelor of Arts in foreign affairs in 2009 and a Master of Public Policy in at the university's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy in 2010.

In light of her success, Ms. Laurens was named among the Top 30 Emerging Leaders in Greenville News in 2016 and among the Most Influential People in Washington Magazine for 2021 and 2022, back to back. She attributes her success to her unwavering passion for learning and enthusiasm to support future generations achieve their highest potential.

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