Dana MacDiarmid

Dana is a former VSA volunteer who returned to Aotearoa in 2015 after 18 months volunteering and working in Timor-Leste. She has been an elected Council member since 2016 and became Chair of the Council in late 2023.

She has previously served as President of the Ship for World Youth Alumni Association of New Zealand and an Advisory Board member for the Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network. She has international experience in communications and marketing across the public and private sectors in New Zealand, Timor-Leste, Europe, and Canada.

Based in Wellington/Poneke, Dana now works at the National Emergency Management Agency managing a team focused on social and community resilience. She has previously held roles as a Ministerial Private Secretary, Technical Advisor on a Pacific Disaster Risk Management Programme, and leading on national emergency management planning and policies.