Hello and Welcome! You may have found my site as a fellow scholar or practitioner in the field or as a current student. Regardless of your background, I’m glad you’re here! My name is Dr. Dana M. Malone, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. The Dr. in my name represents the Ph.D. I hold in Educational Policy and Evaluation Studies. I also hold a M.S. in school counseling and a B.A. in psychology. My areas of expertise and interest include student success and academic support; strategic assessment planning; leadership and workplace issues in higher education; the intersection of gender, sexuality, and religious identities; as well as women and mothers in the academy.
Currently, I serve the field as an Independent Scholar and Higher Education Consultant. I am based in the traditional territory of the Lenni-Lenape, called “Lenapehoking,” as an uninvited settler on colonized land known as Philadelphia. I leverage my flexibility as an Independent Scholar and Consultant to craft novel ways to fulfill my vocational calling as an educator. For me, being an academic entrepreneur looks like partnering with institutions on a contract basis; teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels; publishing my research and scholarship; presenting new ways to approach the work at conferences around the country; and producing alternate forms of educational content via my podcast The Academic Life on New Books Network.
I consider myself a dynamic scholar-practitioner with a diverse portfolio of experiences in the academy. I remain committed to understanding and enhancing college student experiences. A consistent thread woven throughout the tapestry of my career is a commitment to work with and on behalf of students - as well as those serving them - to provide the necessary resources, structures, and cultural elements so everyone can thrive in their pursuits on campus. My experiences range from program development and implementation to teaching to leading assessment and research initiatives. And I’ve done this in an array of campus settings such as: large flagship public, small private, faith based, in-person and online/remote.
The M. in the middle of my name represents my family of origin - Mesrobian. I am a second generation, U.S. born Armenian American, raised at the lower end of middle-class in white, “American” culture by parents who worked to assimilate themselves into that culture amidst the burgeoning suburban neighborhoods outside New York City during the 1950s and 60s. My family history is filled with direct and indirect impacts of the Armenian genocide, generational trauma, and aspirations for new beginnings and better horizons for future generations. I am the beneficiary of the sacrifices and hard-earned lessons of my grandparents and parents. Today, I identify as a white, middle-class, highly educated, heterosexual, cisgender woman.
Malone represents the name of the family I co-created with my longtime partner and spouse. Other salient identities that inform how I move through the world include mother of two, primary caregiver, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, spiritual seeker, athlete, first-generation graduate student, educator, qualitative researcher, social constructivist, and lifelong learner.
When I’m not working, you may find me spontaneously dancing in my kitchen, walking the Jersey shore coastline, roaming second hand stores, or greeting the day with a yoga flow.