Dyana is an Assistant Professor in the University of Oregon's School of Planning, Public Policy and Management and the Director of the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management. She teaches in the Masters of Nonprofit Management (MNM) and Masters of Public Administration (MPA) degree programmes, alongside the undergraduate degree programme in Planning, Public Policy and Management and the minor programme in Nonprofit Administration.
She received her PhD from the University of Southern California's Price School of Public Policy. Her research interests include nonprofit management and governance, the organisation and formation of interest/advocacy organisations, the political economy of the nonprofit sector, charitable giving and experimental research on collective action and fundraising activities.