Dena Betti

Board of Directors, Chairperson

Dena Betti is a mother of three daughters, wife, friend, community leader and business owner. She studied at the University of San Francisco in San Francisco, California where she played on the school’s inaugural golf team and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. She’s passionate about contributing to the world around her, personal growth and building loving and intimate relationships. She believes that through love all things are possible.

Much of Dena’s adult life has been impacted by volunteerism in her community. From being the first to start a women’s county golf tournament in the area she grew up to fill the need for equal competitive female tournament opportunity, to being on the board of several non-profits, Dena is passionate about serving with purpose.

Since 2014, Dena embarked on a mother’s extraordinary journey of hope, strength & inspiration after the tragic and accidental death of her 14-year-old daughter Jenna. Something inside Dena died when her first-born child died, but it wasn’t the sort of death we commonly understand it to be. It was the death of how she thought life was supposed to play out. Just three short months after her daughter’s passing, her family started the #hersmile non-profit to help families like hers.

Dena and her family began to experience the effects of trauma after about a year after her daughter’s passing. Dena knew if her family
could benefit from learning resiliency and coping skills, then all children could benefit. It was at that time she, with her board, expanded the mission of #hersmile to include supporting social and emotional learning (SEL) to children, teens and adults.