Pi Sigma Alpha

Pi Sigma Alpha Alumni Award

Dana Parke Headshot 1

Dana Parke, MA receives the inaugural Alumni Award (2025)

Dana M. Parke, MA (she/her) is a global/public health professional with over 11 years of experience at Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan. Since 2021 she has been Program Manager for Clinical & Social Health Integration, focusing on social determinants of health screening and intervention among primary care patients. She has a passion for housing and works closely with community partners on initiatives including a home repair program to prevent falls among older adults, opening a clinic to serve LGBTQ+ young people experiencing housing insecurity, and volunteering on the Board of her local Housing Commission. For 7 years prior she worked in Henry Ford’s Global Health Initiative department, leading capacity strengthening programs globally, including in Haiti and India. She received her B.A. from Oakland University’s Honors College in 2013 with a triple major in International Relations, African Studies, and French, where she also spent a semester in Senegal, was the Outreach Editor for the inaugural Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics, and remains an active alumnaIn 2020, she obtained her M.A. in International Development, with specializations in Housing and Urban Planning, from the University of Denver, where she received the full-tuition Sié Fellowship and studied housing in South Africa. While in Denver, she also completed the Urban Leaders Fellowship and worked with the Colorado Division of Housing. 

About the award

The Pi Sigma Alpha Alumni Award recognizes alumni who are under the age of 35 and have emerged as leaders through personal and professional achievements in political science and related fields. The award honors members whose academic excellence serves as a foundation for their commitment to making a positive impact on their communities or the political science profession. It is conferred upon alumni who epitomize Pi Sigma Alpha’s commitment to providing leadership opportunities; stimulating scholarship and interest in politics, government, and democracy; encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion; and supporting activities that promote dialogue and civic engagement.

Outstanding candidates have demonstrated a commitment to Pi Sigma Alpha’s values and activities.

The Pi Sigma Alpha Alumni Award will be conferred annually. The recipient will be selected by a committee of three consisting of two Pi Sigma Alpha Council members and the previous year’s awardee. (Note: for the first year, the committee will consist of three PSA Council members.) The award will be conferred at the Pi Sigma Alpha Annual Meeting.

The awardee shall receive a plaque and be the keynote speaker at the National Student Research Conference.