My Mission

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Dana Burkhlder is a creator and entrepreneur who has designed and built multiple businesses. As an innovator in a variety of industries, she brings an acumen that supports businesses from startup to full embodiment. With a long career in the sports industry, Dana excels in working powerfully with individuals and teams to create powerful change and transformation. 

Currently, Dana is launching ArenaPro, a unique player and team development software she created for the collegiate, club and professional sports space. 

Dana recently joined NORCO Volleyball Club as the Head of Club Volleyball and Player/Team/Coach Development. She will also be the Recruiting Coordinator for the club and their athletes. Concurrently, Dana provides volleyball analytics and coaching for private students nationally. 

Most recently, from March 2024, Dana coached A4 17-1s, ranked 2nd in Southern California and in the summer of 2023, Dana was the Team Leader for the USA Women's Volleyball National Team at the VNL Finals in Texas and the Norceca Championships in Quebec, Canada. 

Dana was a Club Director for over 15 years and a Club Owner for 7 years. She understands the complexities of organized sports and in 2021 decided to open a new businesses and work directly with organizations to impact the industry on a wider scale. 

In 2014 Dana co-founded FORZA1, one of the top youth sports organizations in Southern California. Dana was the visionary and CEO behind this start up which grew 500% in 5 years. Her holistic and customer centric model spoke to clients and the community in new ways. 

Across three different locations with two dedicated facilities, Dana led facility acquisition, design and operations for FORZA1. She also designed the companies product offerings, established pricing and market opportunity. In her role as Director, Dana also procured staffing/coaches and as part of the leadership team established company procedures, operating models and off-site systems. 

Forza1 opened in 2014, and in 2019, Dana led her 18UA team to a 5th place finish at USA Nationals in the Open Division and the #1 ranking in Southern California. Prior to this Dana coached numerous teams ages 12-18 to top 10 finishes in SoCal. During her tenure FORZA1 and FORZA1 North sent 100s of athletes to numerous Division I, II, III and NAIA colleges. 

More Background

Growing up in Southern California, Dana grew up playing numerous sports including track and field, cross country, tennis, golf, basketball, baseball and eventually volleyball full time. Dana's sports experiences have inspired her to be a life long learner and contributor to sports.    

During Dana’s career at the University of Arizona (1998-2001), the Wildcats went from a top 40 team to a top 4 team. Each year the team advanced further into the the NCAA tournament and in her senior season she helped Arizona reach their first and only NCAA Final Four Appearance. Dana was a 2x First-Team Division 1 All-American Setter ('00 and '01) and Pac-10 Player of the Year (2000). She continues to hold multiple records at the University.  

Dana was a 2x member of the USA Volleyball Junior National Team (as a senior in high school and as a sophomore in college) and was able to compete internationally, winning a gold medal at the Norceca Champions in 1998. After graduating from Arizona with a degree in Art History and Creative Writing, Dana was a member of the USA Volleyball National Team (2003) before beginning a career in marketing with Bear Essential News for Kids.  

From 2005 to 2014, Dana explored numerous opportunities including coaching at her Alma Matter, Arizona, playing professionally in Italy, and Directing Temecula Volleyball Club ('09-'14). Each opportunity was a learning experience giving Dana the opportunity to see all the different levels and dynamics of sports from the youth to collegiate to international levels.  

Corporate Experience

Starting in 2022, Dana got involved in the corporate space and began applying her strategic sports acumen to support businesses in their growth. Dana coached and consulted to business leaders and teams to define and accelerate the change process. 

Dana recently consulted with Dynamic Voice, where she helped facilitate the Lotus program for Rand Merchant Bank. This involved coaching individuals in the company to elevate their presence in high pressure situations and be able to deliver complex sets of information with ease and power. 

In addition to her own sports expertise, Dana is a Certified HeartMath Advanced Resilience Trainer.