Dana graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Baltimore, School of Law. During law school, Dana represented clients as a Rule 16 Student Attorney for the Office of the Public Defender in Baltimore City. Following law school graduation in 2009, Dana served as a judicial law clerk in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. She then practiced as a civil litigation defense attorney in the Baltimore area. She represented a myriad of clients for approximately eight years, before transitioning out of the private sector.