Alana M. Burman serves as the Director of Policy, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Mediation (PIM) for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Burman comes to this role with a wealth of social justice and social equity experience centered around mediation, community relations, and policymaking. She is new to PHRC.
Burman's educational accomplishments include a Bachelors of the Arts in Printmaking and Drawing, summa cum laude, obtained from Rutgers University – Mason Gross School of the Arts. She also holds a Masters in Developmental and Abnormal Psychology from Rutgers University – New Brunswick, magna cum laude. Additionally, Burman holds a Certificate in State and Local Government from the Eagleton Institute of Government and Politics. She is a member of several academic honor societies and an alumni of multiple educational equity focused fellowships.
Prior to the PHRC, Burman started her career as a public-school English and Art teacher stationed in the Mississippi Delta with Teach for America. After leaving K-12 teaching, she transitioned first to Government, then Public Advocacy and Government Affairs roles with nonprofits. Burman has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children and on the Essex County LGBQTIA+ Advisory Board, both in New Jersey. She enjoys public speaking and volunteering with Seniors and within her Jewish community.
Much of Burman's professional career has been in roles that include advocating for groups who have difficulty being heard in Government and bringing diverse groups of people together to advance common policy goals. She finds fulfillment in her passions at the PHRC with the ability to assist Pennsylvanians and actively work to build policy that advances eradicating discrimination both inside and outside of the Commonwealth.
Email: aburman@pa.gov
