Bottom-Up Changemaker
Dana Dakin spent 35 years in the financial services industry and founded Dakin Partners, the first creative agency to focus on marketing for institutional investment firms. She was recognized as a thought leader in the industry and co-produced the PBS series and companion book, Beyond Wall Street: The Art of Investing.
Upon retirement in 2003, she returned to an early interest in Africa from her undergraduate days at Scripps College. She founded WomensTrust — an NGO based in one village in Ghana — to partner at the community level integrating microfinance, girls’ education, and healthcare. The “bottom-up” organization earned praise from leading international economist and author William Easterly, who called WomensTrust “probably the best project I’ve seen in Africa.”
In 2023, Dana moved back to Mill Valley to settle in a seniors community at The Redwoods where she continues to write and engage in community and social causes.
PR & Articles
Books
Beyond Wall Street (1999)
"Beyond Wall Street achieves a laudable balance between human drama and sage advice, and the sages involved are some of the finest investors of our time." -Ed Finn, Editor, Barron's
Five For The Road (2004)
This guide covers product launches, shortening sales cycles, crafting winning presentations, and maximizing client meetings, this anniversary edition captures the firm’s signature “sole‑source” approach to building trust and driving results. 54 pages 6.25" x 6.25" (limited edition).
New Book Coming Soon…
Dana is currently working on A Woman’s Guide to Bottom-Up Social Change, a book documenting her philanthropy work in Africa and the tools she learned along the way.
Recognition
The Purpose Prize is a prestigious annual award honoring extraordinary Americans aged 50 and older who are solving major societal challenges through their non-profit work.
The Isabel Benham Award is given to a woman who has dedicated herself to helping empower and advance other women – no matter what industry they are in.
The Stand on a Better World award was created to recognize women making outstanding contributions in their communities
