Dana McKinney

she/her

Pronunciation: day-nuh

Title: HR Specialist

As their HR Specialist, Dana provides the Pilot Light team with professional HR operational support handling tasks such as payroll management, HR administrative work, developing and maintaining workplace policies, and supporting a positive, inclusive, and engaging organizational culture.

Dana is an experienced HR professional with over 20 years in human resources, learning & development, and organizational effectiveness. She feels privileged to bring this expertise to the Pilot Light organization, especially since she’s been a fan and supporter for the past several years. Previously, Dana worked as a Training Manager at CB2 and a Senior HR Trainer at American Girl, where she developed HR-related training programs, managed onboarding and performance processes, and supported multiple leadership development initiatives.

She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.F.A. from Wright State University and is a Certified Professional with SHRM—the Society for Human Resource Management—along with holding additional certifications as a Myers-Briggs practitioner and a Situational Leadership facilitator.

For the past eight years, Dana has served on the board of directors for Chicago Market, a start-up food co-op community members are working to build in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. She is passionate about access to healthy food (however you define that for yourself) and eating F.L.O.S.S. foods (fresh, local, organic, seasonal, and sustainable) whenever possible.

She currently lives in Albany Park with her husband of 30 years, Anthony. Outside of work, you’ll likely find her enjoying the breezes off the lakeshore near Foster Beach, exploring titles in one of her favorite local bookshops (probably a cookbook), or shopping for her next must-have kitchen gadget, cheese board, or table linen.

Dana has never met a donut she didn’t like.

Favorite Food Education Standard: FES #1 – Food connects us to each other.

This is my favorite FES because it speaks to something truly universal…no matter our backgrounds, cultures, or personal experiences, food is a common thread that unites us all. Sharing a meal or simply learning about someone else’s food traditions or preferences can build understanding, strengthen relationships, and create a sense of belonging. In a world that can often feel divided, food has the unique ability to foster connection, empathy, and community. And who doesn’t love that?

A favorite food memory or recipe:

Growing up, every summer my dad planted a garden in a bed we had in the backyard. He grew tomatoes and cucumbers, along with other vegetables he enjoyed, and while I was a pretty picky eater as a child claiming to “absolutely hate vegetables”, I always loved the salads we had throughout the summer. Smelling the rich soil, seeing the tomatoes ripening to a deep red on the vine with their unmistakable tomato vine scent, feeling the prickly little burrs of the cucumbers as they grew along the trellis…these are some of the food memories I hold in my heart. Now, I think about my dad whenever I go pick cherry tomatoes off the plants in my own backyard each summer.

Reach me: dana@pilotlightchefs.org or connect with me on LinkedIn!