Dan Penaranda

VP of School Lending and Outreach

Dan serves on EFF’s School Lending and Outreach Team, where he leads school intake and outreach efforts to expand access to affordable facilities financing. He works directly with charter leaders in the early stages of the lending process—assessing financial and operational readiness and connecting schools to resources that prepare them for long-term success. Dan builds partnerships with school leaders, funders, and policymakers to ensure high-impact schools, particularly those in historically underserved communities, have a clear path to permanent, equitable facilities.

Before joining EFF, Dan was Chief Financial Officer of IOTA Community Schools, where he guided the network’s successful separation from Green Dot Public Schools, implemented new financial systems, and led the financial and operational strategy for expansion into Arkansas. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at Green Dot National, overseeing finance, operations, facilities, and transportation across multiple states. Dan began his professional journey as an equity options trader before pursuing a law degree and transitioning into education leadership.

Dan holds a JD from Texas A&M University School of Law and a BA in Economics from Tulane University. Based in Memphis, he is a proud husband and dad of two girls, a devoted UNC basketball fan, and a weekend home-renovator who can take a kitchen down to the studs (but won’t volunteer for the painting).