Elida Dakoli, DMA
Born in Communist Albania, Dr. Elida Dakoli overcame the political persecution of her family to become an international concert pianist, entrepreneur and human rights activist.
Driven by her passion for music, she began her musical studies at the age of six, despite restricted access to instruments in her country. As an entrepreneur and educator, Dr. Dakoli has championed an entrepreneurial approach to artistic careers as the Founder and Professor of the Entrepreneurship in the Arts program at Dallas Baptist University where she also serves as a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Board. She is the Executive Director of the Dallas Institute of Musical Advancement (DIMA) which she founded in 2017, an after school music program offered at the most elite Dallas schools.
In recent years, she has collaborated with the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC). Dr. Dakoli currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and three children.