Dakota Chandler

Dakota (she/her) recently joined Grinnell College to lead the Arts, Media, and Communications Career Community. She provides students and early career alumni with advice and support, including industry-focused employment and learning opportunities in the written, visual, and performing arts. She also advises students and graduates interested in marketing and advertising, journalism, museums and heritage organizations, arts administration, and more.

An Illinois native and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA in Communication), Dakota spent her first decade after college in Los Angeles in a range of marketing roles, including positions at entertainment companies like Warner Bros., Hulu, and Disney. This work let her blend a love of creative storytelling with consumer psychology and data. She also has experience leading social media marketing for e-commerce and financial tech companies. This range of experience has Dakota excited to help Grinnell students navigate their own career adventures in the arts.

Outside of work, you can find Dakota partaking in endless interior design pursuits, such as thrifting and painting rooms that surprise her Grinnell-alum partner when he gets home from work. She also loves trying new recipes, hosting friends, and she never turns down a craft class.