As the senior director of finance and operations, Dalena brings two decades of expertise to MFAN. She is also mom to an Army brat, and a proud Navy sister and daughter.
She understands the critical role that finance and operations play in effectively and efficiently serving military families. In her former tenure at Blue Star Families, a nationally recognized military family support organization, McGrew managed all financial operations. She worked closely with operations, managing tax filings, charitable registrations, benefits, and payroll administration. Through her strategic planning efforts and programmatic resource management, McGrew helped grow the organization’s processes and reporting. Prior to joining Blue Star Families, McGrew spent five years as a civilian employee at the Department of the U.S. Army, where she worked for the Garrison, Force Management Support Agency, and for a multi-compo Army Division.
As a former Army spouse of over 10 years, she has personally experienced several of the large challenges many military spouses face. An established public accountant at the time she married her then-husband, she further discovered what “service” meant. She quickly learned how to balance her own career with her role as a dedicated military spouse, both to her husband’s service and the military families they served. She endured multiple PCSs and deployments, while still reaching her goals of a master’s degree and having a family.
She is the recipient of the Superior Civilian Service Award given by General Jeffrey Colt. This is the third-highest award of the Department of the Army honorary awards for the Department of the Army employees. She is the recipient of the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, by General Robert Caslen Jr. She also received the Yellow Rose of Texas, given by Governor Rick Perry of Texas to outstanding women for their contributions to the greater community. She has also received awards at the command level for her support for military families in her then husband’s unit.
Dalena has a BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM), and a Masters of Science in Accountancy from the University of Kansas. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Nonprofit Management and Leadership program at UWM. McGrew sits on the Alliance of Nonprofit Insurance Board of Directors and she is passionate about equal rights treatment, and animal rescue.