The National League of Junior Cotillions (NLJC) has announced the appointment of Dana Hahn and Jessica Proffitt Bracken as the new NLJC Directors for Walton County in Florida.

The National League of Junior Cotillions program, which features character education, etiquette, and social dance training for students in South Walton, includes six classes over a six-month period, two of which are Grand Balls.

The purpose of the National League of Junior Cotillions program is to give students instruction in ballroom dancing and practice in the social courtesies needed for better relationships with their family and friends.  Students actively learn life skills through a creative method employing role-playing, skits and games.

The social behavior component ranges from rules of conversation to formal and informal table manners.  In addition to the usual courtesies connected with dancing, etiquette instruction is also provided with regards to the following: acknowledgment of gifts, behavior at cultural and civic events, correspondence, interaction in groups, introductions, paying and receiving compliments, receiving lines, sportsmanship and sports etiquette, instructional dinners, telephone courtesy, and many other areas of social conduct.

The National League of Junior Cotillions’ setting will encourage children to be comfortable together, to make new friends, and to enjoy themselves.  Communication skills learned by young ladies and gentlemen in a peer group setting provide graduating students with increased confidence and poise in social situations.

Director, Dana Hahn is the Executive Vice President of Real Estate for Howard Group, a commercial mixed-use developer in South Walton, Florida. Dana’s professional passion is creating best-in-class retail and restaurant experiences for her South Walton community to enjoy.  Since joining Howard Group in 2006, Dana has served in key board positions for Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, The Seaside School, Walton Area Chamber of Commerce, The Tree House Episcopal Montessori School and Pensacola Little Theatre.

Dana is a native of Pensacola, FL and attended Florida State University where she earned degrees in Real Estate and Finance. Dana and her husband, Robert, reside in beautiful South Walton with their lovely daughter Charlotte.

Having grown up in Pensacola, FL where she had the pleasure of taking NLJC Cotillion classes herself in middle school, Dana has long dreamt of bringing NLJC Cotillion to South Walton. “So many families have relocated to South Walton from across the U.S. in recent years. Many of these parents took Cotillion classes themselves growing up. I know there will be a strong appreciation and demand for what Jessica, and I are bringing to the community. Manners are kindness – and we can always use more of that.”

Jessica Proffitt Bracken of Seacrest, FL, founded Proffitt PR in 2011, nurturing the company atop tables at local coffee shops and bookstores. Since then, her hard work and powerful team has helped the company to blossom as the leading public relations, event planning, advertising, branding, and social media firm on the Emerald Coast, with a host of accolades and loyal clients to prove it.

Jessica is on the board of the Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation and is the past president of the Young Professionals of Walton County and the Northwest Florida Coast Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA). She has been named a Pinnacle Award Winner by 850 Business Magazine, Walton County’s Young Professional of the Year, FPRA’s For-Profit Communicator of the Year, and earned the distinction of being highlighted in 850 Business Magazine as one of the 40 professionals under 40 years old.

Jessica moved to Santa Rosa Beach in 1997 and proceeded to join NLJC classes during high school which were an hour away. Since having her daughter three years ago, it has been on her heart to grow the chapter into South Walton where she and her family now reside. “There are so many young families in our area who took Cotillion themselves as children who also see the need for it for our youth. We are so honored to be able to offer this to the future leaders of our community.”

Jessica married husband Levin Bracken of Memphis, Tennessee in Telluride, Colorado in June of 2014. They have a three-year-old little girl named Stella James and a goldendoodle named Champ.

The National League of Junior Cotillions is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the program was established in 1979. There are now over 400 chapters in 27 states across the country, involving thousands of students. President Charles Anthony Winters said, “We are delighted to see this training in Walton County, Florida.  It has had a great impact on the self-esteem and social development of young people across the country.”

If you would like to know more about the program, please email Dana Hahn or Jessica Proffitt Bracken at [email protected] or visit the local chapter’s website at https://bit.ly/NLJCSW.

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