Dana Nybo

MBA University of Phoenix (in progress)
B.A., Winona State University
A.A., Anoka-Ramsey Community College

I have grown up in the automotive racing and customization world. My Father, Keith Nybo, was a renowned automobile customizer and former motorcycle drag racer. Being in the realm of custom cars and motorcycles has fueled his passion for motor sports and great design. I have been riding motorcycles since I received my first Honda dirt bike for Christmas at the age of 5. Through various dirt bikes and three-wheelers, I have been able to hone my skills until I had reached the semi-professional level when I started racing Superbikes with the Central Roadracing Associtation (www.cra-mn.org) in 1991. I had raced with the C.R.A. and various W.E.R.A sanctioned events through four seasons from 1991-1994. My highest achievement in roadracing was placing 8th overall in 1993, capturing the Sportsman Superbike and Ultralight Superbike Champion Title and placing 2nd in the Ultralight Supersport championship in 1993. In 1994 I had a career ending wreck in turn 4 at Brainerd International Raceway. I broke my arm in 4 places and had my head run over by another racer. My racing injuries are still plaguing me today which keeps me off the motorcycle and has shifted my interest to more comfortable high performance cars. I was priviledged enough to have my fathers 1956 Chevy Bel-Air for two summers and since the sale of that car, I am currently obsessing over Porsche's, specifically the last of the air-cooled 911, the 993. I currently own a '99 996 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, not as distinct as the 993, but still a beautiful Porsche. See it here.
Aside from my interests in fine automobiles, I have a strong interest in fine art, design, digital media and internet development. The combination of design and Porsche cars has lead to my recent work with the Midwest region of the Porsche Club, Nord Stern. This past summer, I was able to shoot the photography for the Nord Stern Annual Concours d’Elegance. The photos were then used for the October Newsletter and in a multimedia presentation for the awards banquet in November.
A little about my past, I studied fine arts at Winona State University with a focus on drawing and painting. With my creative inspiration fueled by the expressionists of turn of the century Austria (Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and Oscar Kokoshka) and the abstract expressionists of the New York School of the 40's and 50's (Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and others), I had worked hard to become a leader of the arts community in southeastern Minnesota with many group and one man shows in the region.
After college, I was searching for a way to turn my artistic drive into a creative career. I became very inspired by the excitement surrounding the internet in the mid-nineties so I started studying web development. Taking foundation courses at a local design school and a lot of self-study, I quickly turned my interests into a profitable freelance business. I was soon developing internet and intranet sites, graphic design and full marketing packages for several local businesses, even teaching the classes I was once taking.
I was soon contacted by Ai Minnesota to join their team in March 1999. Although my focus was with multimedia, I was able to teach a variety of Graphic Design, Interactive Design, and Web Development classes.
In the spring of 2000, I had taken 2 quarters away from Ai Minnesota and to help found an interactive media company called Linking Solutions. In my time with Linking Solutions, I was able to hire three Ai Minnesota graduates to work with me. During these 6 months this team developed a number of interactive CD-ROMs, numerous web sites and marketing packages for companies such as The DMA, Select Comfort, and broadcast graphics for the PBS television show Hometime. I regard this as one of the most educational experiences of my life.
In the Fall of 2000, I was able to return to Ai Minnesota with my technical skills strengthened and industry knowledge even stronger. Since my return, I have focused on my role in the Multimedia department as well as contributing to other areas in teaching several Graphic Design classes as well. I was the Director of Ai Minnesota’s Online Education department through it’s first three years of infancy and have now changed my focus to developing the faculty skills at the Art Institutes International Minnesota as the Faculty Development Director.
I continues to keep my professional skills strong by small freelance projects and maintaining the website for a Ai Minnesota. Often I have been able to assist Ai Minnesota students in obtaining freelance work and internships with local businesses. In the spring of 2002, I was honored to be nominated by former Ai Minnesota student, Shawn Mc Kee, to "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" for making an impact in her education.