Dana White

Prior to joining Ankura, Dana was the Chief Communications Officer of Hyundai Motor North America (HMNA) and reported to the Global Chief Operating Officer of the Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America. She led and executed the public relations, external affairs, and communications strategy for the region, including Hyundai Motor Canada, Hyundai Motor Mexico, Genesis Motor North America, and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. She also led the region’s corporate social responsibility, diversity, and external affairs for both brands and their non-profit (501)c3 foundations, including Hyundai Hope on Wheels and Genesis Inspiration Foundation. In addition, she was responsible for coordinating crisis communications and messaging for Hyundai Motor Group affiliates in the region, including the DC Government Relations Office, Glovis (logistics supplier), Mobis (auto parts supplier), Hyundai Capital, and more than 800 independent Hyundai and Genesis dealers and franchises. She was named Chief Communications Officer in April 2020.

Dana served as Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and the Chief Pentagon Spokesperson for the Department of Defense and Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis. In that capacity, she provided strategic public relations and media guidance to all branches of the U.S. armed services, combatant commands and their senior military, and civilian and political leadership. She also served as Director of Policy and Strategic Communications for the Renault-Nissan Alliance in Paris, France and as a professional staff member on the Armed Services Committee of the United States Senate under Senator John S. McCain. Additionally, she served as a foreign policy advisor on his 2008 presidential campaign.

Dana was an editorial writer and op-ed editor at the Wall Street Journal in New York and Hong Kong. She served as the Taiwan Country Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Before joining the Department of Defense, she was the Director of the Washington Roundtable for Asia-Pacific Press at the Heritage Foundation, a publicist at the Fox News Channel in Washington, DC, and served as Deputy Press Secretary on the U.S. House Republican Conference.

Currently, Dana serves on the boards of directors of the International Republican Institute, Cure Duchenne, and No One Left Behind.

Dana graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in East Asian languages and civilizations and studied at Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. She is proficient in Mandarin Chinese and French and possesses basic proficiency in Korean.