J. Dante D'Mar

J. Dante Awkward, MPH, is a graduate of Trident University International, holding a master’s degree in public health. He has over 23 years of leadership and management experience and began his professional career as a service member in the US Army in 1998. During his tenure, J. Dante held positions throughout the world as an Army Logistician, Combat Medic, Instructor of various disciplines, Healthcare Recruiting Center Manager and Sr. Operations Manager for Healthcare Recruiting Command. J. Dante continued to acquire roles such as an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, and a Substance Abuse Prevention Manager, while simultaneously operating in other roles and responsibilities. J. Dante finished his career with the US Army as the Senior Marketing and Operations Manager for the Army Medical Recruiting Command.

J. Dante officially retired from service from the United States Army in 2019 after 20 years of dedicated service to his country. That same year he accepted a position at The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as a Senior Talent Management Consultant and remained for 3 years. While at UCLA, J. Dante was awarded the “Standing Ovation” award for consistently being resourceful, demonstrating a commitment to UCLA Health’s guiding principles, and consistently applying those principles to create partnerships through integrity, knowledge, and service excellence. J. Dante was praised by his colleagues for his ability to use his talents and expertise to come up with creative solutions for conflict mitigation. Since UCLA, J. Dante has joined the University of La Verne as the Associate Director for the Physician Assistant Program.

In addition to having over 20 years of healthcare management experience, J. Dante is also a doctoral candidate pursuing his PhD in Global Health from Trident University International and is expected to graduate in 2023.