Pamella Dana

Dr. Pamella J. Dana serves as Senior Advisor, Strategic Initiatives at the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition where she is engaged in furthering the expansion, recognition, and multi-faceted relationships of the Institute. From 1999-2007, Dana served as Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development (OTTED), Florida’s senior-most officer responsible for programs and policies leading to economic growth. At OTTED, Dana oversaw over 80 programs and partnerships to include Enterprise Florida Inc., Florida Commission on Tourism, Florida Sports Foundation, and the Florida Space Authority, as well as rural initiatives, enterprise zones, business incentives, and legislative and corporate outreach. As Florida’s legislatively mandated Chief Protocol Officer, Dana also maintained direct responsibility for all international affairs, protocol, and consular corps activities, as well as was senior point on interface with the military, DoD, and Pentagon. During her tenure at OTTED, Dana led highly successful efforts to recruit world-class life sciences research institutes to Florida (Scripps Florida; Burnham Institute; & the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies), as well as championed model defense initiatives to include the effort to protect Florida’s military bases/missions under BRAC 2005. While at OTTED, Dana served on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC); Governor’s Military Base Commanders Bi-Annual Forum; Florida Defense Alliance; Scripps Florida Funding Corporation; Florida Seaport, Transportation, and Economic Development Council; Miami River Commission; Florida Council of 100; Transportation 2020 Commission; Destination Florida Commission; ITFlorida.com; World Golf Foundation; Governor’s Commission on the Future of Space and Aeronautics in Florida; Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors; and the Coastal High Hazard Study Committee. From 1995-1999, Dana served as Assistant (& Deputy) Secretary of Economic Development for the California Trade and Commerce Agency where she oversaw eleven units in the division to include major corp. projects, military base retention & reuse, commercial space, & strategic technology, and provided Agency leadership on the California Electronic Commerce Advisory Council, California Board for Quality, Education, and Development; California Small Business Board; and NASA/California Film Commission digital imaging system. Dana holds a Ph.D. in International Development and Economics from the University of Southern California, and Masters in Administration, Planning, and Policy from Harvard. She currently sits on the corporate boards of CommerceBank, N.A. and its Holding Company; the business advisory board for LaBock Technologies Inc.; the Scripps Florida Funding Corporation; the Seaport Security Standards Advisory Council, and the Council for a Sustainable Emerald Coast. She maintains a list of honors to include: Henry Luce Scholar, Fulbright Scholar, Secretary of Defense Joint Civilian Orientation Conferee (2001); Air Force Secretary’s Air War College (2007); Florida Defense Alliance Distinguished Service Award, first recipient (2006), Outstanding Young Woman of America, CA Governor’s Executive Fellow, Harvard Scholar, and USC Dean’s Scholar.