Dina Peacock McDonald is a lifelong native of Georgia with 26 years’ experience working in the behavioral health field for the State of Georgia.  She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Psychology degrees (with a concentration in Counseling) from Georgia College & State University.  Dina has worked as a Social Services Coordinator and Program Consultant with multiple populations (those with developmental disabilities, serious and persistent mental illnesses, and substance use disorders) and has been a Certified Medication Assisted Treatment Specialist since 2018 and a Certified Addiction Counselor-II since 2021. She also received her POST-certification as an Instructor from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in 2016.  Dina has spent much of her career providing oversight of social and/or treatment programs, conducting audits and evaluations for ongoing quality improvement monitoring, providing training and technical assistance to internal customers, and assisting with the development and monitoring of state strategic plans and policy.  She transferred to the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) as the statewide Georgia Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (GARD) State Plan Coordinator and Dementia Friends State Lead in September of 2023.  She was promoted to Dementia Team Lead in May of 2025.  Dina continues to seek professional development opportunities in the field of Aging and is a huge proponent of lifelong learning.