Through her work leading MENADO, Ms. Eidsness leverages Maine’s transportation, economic development, and knowledge resources to build networks that grow the Maine economy through trade in goods, services, and innovation exchanges. Her program interfaces with other Arctic and North Atlantic-focused organizations to ensure that Maine is included in important discussions regarding North Atlantic resources, sustainable development, and climate resilience. Dana served on the U.S. delegation to the Arctic Council’s PAME Working Group during the U.S. Chairmanship and was Chair of the Host Committee that welcomed the Arctic Council in Maine, U.S.A. in 2016. MENADO is an Arctic Economic Council (AEC) Permafrost Member and Dana leads the AEC’s Blue Economy initiative and Working Group. Other advisory board and steering committee positions include the Arctic Circle Secretariat, Arctic Futures Institute and High North Atlantic Business Alliance.
Dana is a strong advocate for building a robust circular bioeconomy in the United States and has leveraged her North Atlantic network to bring international models of success for sustainability to the State of Maine. Through recent work with partners in Finland, she has established the Transatlantic Forest Bioeconomy Network and Finland-Maine working groups focused on developing commercial uses for Nanocellulose and developing advanced building materials from forestry by-products. Her blue bioeconomy work includes initiatives to create a Pan-Arctic alliance of ocean clusters towards development of relationships that lead to marine bioproducts development, and work in the aquaculture sector to share best practices around land-based aquaculture.
In prior positions, Dana served as Director of International Business for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, managing their international programs and Shanghai Office, she was Executive Director of the Forum on Democracy & Trade in Washington, D.C., Vermont Director of International Trade and Executive Director of the Vermont Global Trade Partnership; and she worked as a regional director for the Maine International Trade Center and as an International Project Manager for the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program of the U.S. Department of Commerce and National Institute of Standards and Technology. Earlier in her career, Dana worked in the private sector in a variety of international positions and as an international business development consultant.
Eidsness holds a B.A. in International Studies from Dominican University in San Rafael, CA and studied International Service and Development at World College West in Northern, CA. She lives on a small island in Maine with her husband and two children. She enjoys hiking, camping, birdwatching, and making piñatas in her spare time.