Dana Winters

Through her work at the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media, Dr. Winters seeks to apply and advance the legacy of Fred Rogers in serving children and their helpers. As the Director of Simple Interactions and Faculty Director of Academic Programs for the Center, she supports professionals across many diverse settings, including child care, early education, school systems, community programs, residential care, and children’s hospitals. She has traveled to 15 states to deliver keynotes and workshops, particularly across early childhood education systems. Her message communicates and reflects what is simple and deep about work in service of children and their families. Dr. Winters directs the Fred Rogers 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 served as co-principal investigator and evaluator for consecutive NSF-funded early childhood research and intervention projects in the areas of early literacy, social emotional development, and early mathematical learning, as well as numerous foundation and government project grants. Dr. Winters 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.