Dr. Dana Winters

As the Director of Simple Interactions and Academic Programs for the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media, Dana Winters seeks to apply and advance the legacy of Fred Rogers in serving children and their helpers. Through projects involving children's helpers across many diverse settings, including child care, school systems, community programs, residential care, and children's hospitals, she communicates and reflects what is simple and deep about work in service of children and their families. Dana supervises the Center's research lab, Incubator 143, which partners with educators, trainers, advocates, and researchers to focus on identifying and amplifying the simple active ingredient that universally helps serve children—the power of human connection. She joined the Center after serving as the Senior Evaluator for the Collaborative for Evaluation and Assessment Capacity at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education, and as an Education Counselor with the Educational Opportunity Centers of Penn State University. Dana holds a Ph.D. in administrative and policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh, a M.A. in education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in sociology from Saint Vincent College.