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Da’Lana started her service at the Corps in 1994 as an AmeriCorps Member with what was then known as the Building Up Los Angeles program. Just a few years prior, in response to the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest, 60 community-based organizations, faith-based non-program organizations and educational institutions convened to develop strategies for better servicing youth and families. The outcome was the founding of Building Up Los Angeles. It was the largest AmeriCorps Program in Los Angeles at the time, utilizing over 125 AmeriCorps Members to address critical education, social service, public safety, and environmental needs at the local level. Da’Lana worked in many AmeriCorps capacities from AmeriCorps Member to Program Manager until 1999. Education being one of the initiatives, in 1999, Da’Lana had the opportunity to work with some of the first state-funded after-school programs in Los Angeles. Today, she is the Sr. Director of the renowned After School Program, which operates on a $3 million budget, and is responsible for the expanded learning services delivered to over 3,000 elementary and middle school students at 21 sites.

On the local level, Da’Lana is a member of the LA Afterschool Providers Group and the Los Angeles County of Education (LACOE) Workplan Advisory Group. On the State level, she’s an Advocacy Representative of California After School Advocacy Alliance that speaks to Appointed and Elected representatives of California on the importance of expanded learning opportunities. A native of Los Angeles, Da’Lana is a mother of 2 sons and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.