The WSU College of Nursing recently welcomed its newest advisor, Dana Johns, to their team. Learn more about Dana below!

ATA: Tell us a little bit about your educational background and how it relates to your current position.

DJ: My educational background is in History. I earned my BA in History from Eastern Kentucky University and my MA in History from the University of Kentucky. While in graduate school, I worked as a teaching assistant. This allowed me to work with students in a direct capacity. I was a TA during the COVID lockdown, and the need to quickly adapt to a changing educational environment led me to an interest in student affairs. That experience, combined with the need for great attention to detail required for historical research, taught me skills to thrive in student affairs positions.
 

ATA: Can you please tell us a little bit about your student affairs background before joining WSU?

DJ: Prior to joining the team at WSU, I worked as an Academic Advisor with the University of Kentucky. In that role, I took on advising students from orientation to graduation. Prior to my position with UK, I worked as coordinator for the Eastern Kentucky University Graduate School. My role at EKU encompassed a wide variety of tasks, including the approval of thesis and dissertation submissions, certifying graduations, and supervising graduate assistant hiring, payroll, and tuition waivers.  

ATA: When you are not advising, what are some things you like to do for fun?

DJ: When I am not advising, I enjoy taking my dog to light hiking trails or play a good game of trivia! I am also a bit of a live music fanatic and am always looking for the next concert to attend.
 

ATA: Any interesting or fun facts about yourself that you would like to share?

DJ: I am a US Navy Veteran. Following my military service, I moved to Kentucky to attend college with several of my friends that I was stationed with at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. I lived in Kentucky for 9 years before returning home to Michigan in 2024.