Dana MacDonald, School Social Worker at Geneva Middle School South has been a school social worker for 11 years. Ms. MacDonald attended Geneva Schools as a child from kindergarten through high school, so she was excited when she was hired at the district in August 2019.  

After graduating from high school, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University; a master’s degree in social work from Aurora University and she obtained an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) in Administration and Leadership from National Lewis University.

She said what she loves most about her job is “collaborating with students, teachers, staff, parents and community providers to maximize a student's academic and social/emotional success at school.” She explained that the job of the school social worker is to help students develop skills to make them feel safe, comfortable and grounded so they can learn.  

Ms. MacDonald lives in St. Charles, and in her spare time she enjoys weightlifting and high intensity interval training (HIIT). “Plus, I like soaking in my hot tub and doing anything crafty,” she said.