You would probably describe Dana Friedman as a woman with very eclectic tastes. After all, her musical preferences run from Sinatra to Cold Play to "American Idol". Her favorite book is "Jane Eyre", her top movie is "Shawshank Redemption" and she enjoys doing the New York Times crossword puzzle. And Dana has devoted her life to her family... and to making sure other children have the best opportunities to learn and grow in their early years.

Dana Friedman is a nationally-recognized researcher and policy analyst for children, family and women's issues. She has worked for several national organizations and served as a consultant to major corporations, government agencies and foundations. Before founding The Early Years Institute, Dana was Senior Vice President at Bright Horizons Family Solutions where she led the firm's work/life consulting practice; Co-Founder and Co-President of the Families and Work Institute (FWI), a national, non-profit research firm; and a Senior Research Associate at The Conference Board, where she created the Work and Family Information Center in 1983. She began her career in Washington, D.C. where she was a lobbyist for the Day Care Council of America and the Coalition for Children and Youth. In addition to a variety of articles and research reports, Dana wrote The Juggling Act column for Working Mother Magazine from 1990-1997. She has degrees in child development, social policy and organizational behavior from Cornell (B.S.), University of Maryland (M.A.), and Harvard University (Ed.D.)

Dana is currently on the boards of the New York State Early Care and Learning Council and the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls. She is a member of The Conference Board's Work/Life Leadership Council and the Port Washington Child Care Partnership. She serves on the New York State Early Childhood Advisory Council which oversees the development of the New York State Work Group on Quality Rating Systems, for which she was the original co-director.

So, back to her eclectic life. Dana’s fondest childhood memory is creating shows for the neighborhood which resulted in a group of friends creating a traveling children’s theater troupe. She loves Pad Thai food and coaching girl's soccer. Dana has three daughters, a big dog, and an understanding husband. And don’t try to call her on October 31st... because (and perhaps it’s no surprise) Dana and her family take Halloween VERY seriously!