Dana Lookadoo Memorial Scholarship Fund Now Accepting Donations

Dana Lookadoo, center, at an SMX Conference flanked by Mat Siltala (right) and Matt McGee. Photo by Dana Lookadoo.

On September 14, the SEO industry mourned the loss of Dana Lookadoo, a respected and talented digital marketer who was a frequent speaker at search marketing events, including SMX Conferences.

To honor Dana’s legacy, her friends and family have established The Dana Lookadoo Memorial Scholarship Fund to help students earning multimedia and digital marketing degrees.

While parameters for the scholarship’s application process and procedures are still being determined, donations to the fund can be made via the DanasFund.org website.

[blockquote cite = “Matt McGee, Editor in Chief for Search Engine Land”]Dana was very smart and a gifted marketer; her clients and co-workers can attest to that… She was always smiling, always warm, always interested in others and always willing to lend an ear and a word of support — or whatever her friends needed.[/blockquote]

“It was Dana’s wish that this fund be created in order to help ensure truly deserving young men and women who have a passion for marketing, founded in a sense of making a positive impact on the world, be given an opportunity to begin or further their education in the field of multimedia and/or digital marketing,” reads the DanasFund.org website. The not-for-profit scholarship is managed by Kavanah, and the scholarship process and procedures are being established by a working group of a dozen professionals.

An avid cyclist, Dana spent the last two years in rehab, recovering from spinal cord injuries suffered during a November 2013 cycling accident. Even in the face of such devastating trauma, Dana shared her experiences on her personal website — recounting what had happened and posting updates on her rehab process.

While it is with a heavy heart and much sadness that we mourn the passing of such a tremendous and outstanding person, the SMX and Search Engine Land staff will forever be thankful for Dana’s contribution to our community and the impact she had on those who knew her personally.