Welcoming Dana Meeks to Ellevated Outcomes
It is my pleasure to announce that Dana Meeks has joined the Ellevated Outcomes team as a Strategist (superpower: Finance). She will be based in the Chicago market. And I must tell you: our team has never been so excited about a new colleague.
I met Dana nearly 8 years ago at a networking event. At the time, she was firmly planted in the world of entertainment banking. But I said to her, “If you ever think about an industry change, please consider us. You’d be an incredible Strategist.” Then a few months ago, when we announced an open position, she called me to say, “I’m ready. You’ll see my submission come in soon, and I’m excited to go through the Ellevated Outcomes Hiring Process.”
After interviewing with Julia, Cara, and me, we rapidly and unanimously reached consensus: she’s the one. Here are three attention-grabbing qualities about her (alongside a great technical skillset). She:
- Is the best question-asker. Over the years during our time together, I sat back to observe how she interacts with others. She’s so interested in people (also: this woman DOES. HER. PREP.) Watching her in conversation with someone is like watching an artisan hone their craft. She’s an incredible conversationalist.
- Has lots of interests and connects the dots between people and activities. When we first met, she was new to Nashville, and I watched her develop a robust network from zero. Then, when she returned to her hometown of Chicago, I’ve watched her maintain long-standing connections, while actively developing new ones.
- Assumes positive intent and is open to learning and unlearning. During this round of interviewing, we were thorough (to put it mildly) in culture fit. I had asked Julia and Cara for lots of help in this area, to learn from my past mistakes. We were wildly transparent and expectation-setting about what we thought Dana would love about our culture; aspects that others have found challenging; and what we thought she’d need to unlearn from her corporate and career experience to date. She jumped into this dialogue with both feet, and we could see our ideal blend of well-earned confidence and humility.
So without further ado, please allow me to introduce our newest Strategist Dana Meeks…
Dana is a super connector, strategist and financial analyst with more than 15 years of experience in the finance industry. She’s held roles ranging from investment associate to portfolio banker. Her career has centered on understanding the financial health of individuals and businesses. She started her career at The Northern Trust Company in Chicago. Later she relocated to Nashville to blend her love for finance and music at SunTrust on Music Row. There, she worked with musicians, songwriters, publishers, and business managers. Eventually, she returned to Chicago as the Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Family Office unit at Bank of Montreal.
Dana thrives in deep financial analysis, and she’s equally skilled at zooming out to design sustainable solutions that incorporate human emotion. She is endlessly curious about what makes people unique. And she uses this to make spark-filled connections among her contacts. Her attention to detail and love of well-structured processes bring clarity to complex challenges.
She earned her Finance degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with additional coursework in Advertising (an analytical creative, our people!). In addition, she holds Series 7, 63, and 65 licenses.
In her free time, you’ll find her exploring parks with her son, cheering on Chicago sports teams, or learning. Most recently, she completed courses in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Scrapbooking. Dana lives in Hinsdale, IL, with her husband Andrew, their son Elvis, and their labradoodle Maggie May.
Dana’s Strategy Superpowers are Finance & Process.
