Biography
Dana Linnane is director of research and planning for the Governor’s Office of the Foundation Liaison (OFL). In this role, she identifies and brokers innovative funding partnerships and strategic collaborations between the state and grantmakers.
Prior to joining the OFL in February 2022, Linnane served as policy and communications officer for more than a decade at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) where she successfully managed an array of policy, advocacy and communications strategies, working to raise the profile of WKKF and its grantees with policymakers, community influencers, business leaders and with national and local media outlets. Her work was to establish credibility, gain influence, build awareness and understanding, and ultimately advance policies that give children, families and communities increased access to opportunity.
Previously she served in various roles in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector, including program officer at the Ruth Mott Foundation, William C. Richardson fellow in government affairs and philanthropy at the Council of Michigan Foundations and assistant director of development for the University of Michigan School of Art & Design. She has worked as an independent consultant for several Michigan-based foundations and nonprofit organizations, including the Battle Creek Community Foundation, the McGregor Fund, The Kresge Foundation, the Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation, the C.S. Mott Foundation and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan.
Prior to joining the OFL in February 2022, Linnane served as policy and communications officer for more than a decade at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) where she successfully managed an array of policy, advocacy and communications strategies, working to raise the profile of WKKF and its grantees with policymakers, community influencers, business leaders and with national and local media outlets. Her work was to establish credibility, gain influence, build awareness and understanding, and ultimately advance policies that give children, families and communities increased access to opportunity.
Previously she served in various roles in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector, including program officer at the Ruth Mott Foundation, William C. Richardson fellow in government affairs and philanthropy at the Council of Michigan Foundations and assistant director of development for the University of Michigan School of Art & Design. She has worked as an independent consultant for several Michigan-based foundations and nonprofit organizations, including the Battle Creek Community Foundation, the McGregor Fund, The Kresge Foundation, the Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation, the C.S. Mott Foundation and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan.