Yalanda Barner is Grants Manager for the Children's Defense Fund Southern Regional Office in Jackson, Mississippi.

Prior to coming to CDF-SRO, she served as Program Specialist and Office/Business Manager at Jackson State University and Fiscal Analyst at Tennessee State University. In her current position, Yalanda provides primary bookkeeping services for the Southern Regional Office, including expense reports, cash flow projections, annual budget submissions, budget reconciliation and review and tracking of budget/grant status reports and financial analyses. She works cohesively with the CDF’s National Office to submit financial reports. She develops, plans and recommends management controls to ensure that grants comply with Foundation guidelines and budgets for CDF/SRO. Yalanda received her M.B.A. in Business Administration from Jackson State University and a B.S. in Business Administration from Mississippi Valley State University. She is a member of the National Business Honor Society and Alpha Kappa Mu (Academic Honor Society). She was a recipient of the 2006 Pre and Post Excellence Award awarded by Research and Sponsored Programs at Jackson State University. Yalanda has been working with grants for over 13 years. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and an active member of New Jerusalem Church in Jackson, Mississippi.