This summer, Dana Franchetti was named the new president of the Trevecca Alumni Association.
Originally from Pekin, Ill., Dana earned a Bachelor of Arts in pastoral ministry with a minor in missions from Trevecca. She holds a master’s degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary in intercultural studies and has served in several pastoral leadership roles. The majority of her ministry years have been bi-vocational where she also worked in education and social work.
Dana currently lives outside of Orlando, where she is planting a church. She also serves as editor and writer for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries magazine.
How did your time at Trevecca shape you?
After the local church, Trevecca has been the most influential organization in my life. During my time as a student I found a space to grow into the person God created me to be. I learned how to stand on my own, take risks, lead well and love and serve those around me.
Trevecca invested in my holistic health. Through my involvement with the religion department, student government and the mentoring program, I learned everything from how to be self-aware to how to grow in faithfulness toward God and others. I believe we’re all called to contribute to the kingdom of God, and at Trevecca I felt permission to dream big dreams of what God can do when his people come together.
From your perspective, what makes Trevecca unique?
The relationships I cultivated during my time at Trevecca were life-changing. From sitting in the cafe to studying abroad, the friendships and mentor relationships I formed continue to play an integral role in my life. I had professors who named my giftings and helped me develop a skill set to follow my calling. At the college stage of life I had a lot of young idealism, but no one tried to dissuade me from my goals and dreams. They believed in me. Trevecca’s relational and community aspects are truly special.
What does your current work in ministry look like?
I’m helping plant a church in Groveland, Fla. We’ve gone about this in a creative way. We’re in the process of renovating a storefront space that will serve as a coffee shop and coworking space during the week and a church on the weekend. We felt called to do this as there aren’t many gathering spaces for the community in Groveland. Our heart and vision is that we want the church to be an active group of people that serves as an active space throughout the week. In the evenings we’ll use it for discipleship or community events where we will host different ways to connect with others.
Why do you get involved with the Alumni Association?
I want as many people as possible to experience the grace and support I’ve received from the Trevecca community. I believe our association can do this by extending the Trevecca experience beyond graduation into adulthood. My hope is that we can continue to empower, support and develop Christlike leaders beyond graduation, and pour into future leaders by coming alongside recent grads and by making space for alumni to be present and available on campus.
What kind of new opportunities for alumni to connect are on the horizon?
We are actively searching for ways to help alumni outside of Nashville stay connected, such as hosting virtual meetings and in-person gatherings in different cities across the U.S. We recently restructured our alumni board so more of our graduates can become involved in volunteer leadership.
We are looking for alumni who are willing to serve on committees in different areas of alumni engagement—from planning gatherings, to helping make career connections or speaking into the lives of our alumni in faith and educational development. Our alumni board wants to serve our alumni and their families in meaningful ways and continue to help them remain connected well after graduation. For alumni who have recently moved or changed their email address, we want to make it easy to send us new contact info. We look forward to being in touch!