Education
- Ph.D. 2007 – College of William and Mary, Counselor Education
- M.A. 2000 – Hampton University, Counselor Education: School Counseling and College Student Development
- B.A. 1995 – College of William and Mary
Areas of Expertise
- Parent Involvement
- School-Family-Community Partnerships
- Cultural Diversity
- College Readiness and Access
- Community Asset Mapping
Background
Dr. Dana Griffin has experience as a school counselor and marriage and family counselor. A Virginia native, Dr. Griffin came to Chapel Hill in 2007 to work at Carolina. Dr. Griffin cites her upbringing (being raised by a single mother in rural Virginia, and considered low-income), and the disparate treatment she received in schools, as the motivation for the work she does with schools, families, and communities. Dr. Griffin believes that if given the opportunities and right support, historically marginalized students have the capability to be just as academically successful as other students.
Research
Dr. Griffin researches parent involvement and school-family-community partnerships. She believes that collaboration can be better achieved when school stakeholders are multiculturally competent, aware of their biases and preconceived beliefs, and understand the different complexities of families and parenting. To this end, she also researches inequity issues in education. She believes that school counselors should be leaders in bridging the gap between historically marginalized families, schools, and communities in order to build stronger relationships, collaborations, and increased effectiveness when working with culturally diverse students and their families.