MEET THE TEAM

Dan founded ScholarShot in 2009. Dan has been a successful business growth executive in Dallas since 1979.  He left a successful business consulting firm, ISI, he helped manage and grow since 2003 to serve as Executive Director of ScholarShot.  ISI has experienced record growth the last 6 years.  It’s Dan’s vision and passion which helped create the ScholarShot model and DegreeDallas campaign.

April is a first-generation college graduate from UT Austin in 2011 with a BA in Psychology and Minor in Education. Before joining ScholarShot, April gained experience in college admissions and financial aid processes by serving as a College Advisor in a Title I high school and then as a College Admissions Counselor. April joined ScholarShot as the second Academic Manager in July 2016. She completed her Masters in Social Work from UT Arlington in December 2016, where her concentration on administrative and community practice helped her in additional responsibilities such as marketing and managing our website. In 2018, she became Program Director and began cultivating relationships with community partners to aid in scholar recruitment and managing the mentor program. In 2022, April transitioned into the Director of Strategic Relationships, where she will manage Alumni Relations and continue to create meaningful relationships with the corporate community for workforce development.

Lana has over 10 years of experience in non-profit fundraising. Her ability to cultivate relationships and community engagement has led to great success for each nonprofit she has had the pleasure to serve. Lana is the daughter of a first-generation college student, her mother. She witnessed her mother struggle to get her degree and to become a great success as a result. As a mother to a High Schooler, Lana will be an asset as a parent navigating the confusing and arduous journey of preparing her son for college. She is excited to join ScholarShot as the Development Director where she will grow our fundraising efforts and community awareness.

Christina Etri is a former educator who taught 6th-grade Language Arts & Reading before moving to junior high and then to high school teaching AVID. During her teaching career, she was a RISD STEM Trailblazer, co-founded a Robotics Club, and coached the Texas Lone Star Challenge and the Noetic Learning Math Challenge, all in Title 1 schools, in addition to serving as a mentor teacher to first-year teachers. Christina spent two years learning the legislative process as a senior fellow with Teach Plus Texas and has testified before the Senate Committee on Education of the Texas Legislature. She strives every day to help kids be the best they can be and hopes to have a broader impact on student lives beyond the classroom as a member of the Scholarshot team. Christina is a 1993 graduate of Southern Methodist University (BA – Art History) and a proud mom of two kids in college and high school.

Lesly is a first-generation DACA student and proud ScholarShot Allum, who graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in 2020. Her passion for helping others through her academic journey and exploring beyond her major led her to join the ScholarShot team as an Academic Manager in 2022.  In 2024, Lesly was promoted to Sr. Academic Manager where she provides guidance, sets policy and priorities, and oversees the Academic Management team.

Ife is a first-generation student, who graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences in 2022. She credits her work experience to mentoring high school students and benefitting from the ScholarShot model, which assisted her to graduating. Her desire to be a part of the process responsible for her college success, and the opportunity to utilize some of the skills she learned in college led her to become a part of the Scholarshot team as an intern in 2022. She was promoted to a full time Academic Manager upon her college graduation.

Dalia is a first-generation student, who graduated from The University of North Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2023. She credits her experience to graduating with the help of ScholarShot and informally advising students throughout her college career. Her desire to be a part of the process responsible for her college success and the opportunity to utilize some of the skills she learned in college led her to become a part of the ScholarShot team as an intern in 2023. She was promoted to a full time Academic Manager upon her college graduation.