Dani’s colleagues and clients have said…
Dani is an exceptional colleague who brings a thoughtfulness to her work not only around what content to deliver, but how to deliver it as well. She considers factors like message framing and cultivating psychological safety as integral parts of changing hearts and minds. Dani is an expert at holding space for people to be appropriately uncomfortable in their learning journey, and she creates an inviting energy in the sessions she leads. Furthermore, Dani regularly incorporates different styles into her workshops, like experiential learning, discussions, and personal reflections. In every way, Dani is innovative and audience-focused.
Dani is a brilliant, creative, and passionate DEI facilitator and coach. She has a deep expertise in program design, leadership development, and social justice. Her ability to blend data, research, and storytelling has shifted thoughts and behaviors of individual contributors and executives across many industries, making Dani a true asset to all she meets. More impressive than her functional expertise is Dani's ability to inspire others. Dani's authenticity is rooted in her personal commitment to improving the lives of others, motivating her to create shared learning environments that drive sustainable personal growth.
Dani is an incredible strategist, facilitator, and teammate. She has a unique blend of creative thinking and practical application that are unique in the mission-driven space, and make her an invaluable asset to teams that are designing or implementing strategies, particularly in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space. As a facilitator of DEI workshops, Dani has expertise across a wide range of audiences, from individual contributors to Senior Executive teams. From those who are just thinking about diversity and inclusion for the first time to people who have been working on these topics for years, Dani approaches these topics with empathy, humility, and humor, making difficult conversations accessible and engaging.
Dani’s extensive experience as a facilitator and coach allows her to show up with a depth of knowledge, wisdom, and humility that balances participant experience. As a content designer, container holder, and facilitator of white anti-racist development spaces I was encouraged by Dani’s fearlessness and abundant bandwidth to pursue her own and help others with their anti-racist development. With the pressing need for a collective of anti-racist allies to elevate their consciousness and take action to right wrongs of the past and present, Dani is a leader who has the capacity, skill, and heart to get us closer to that goal.
I had the privilege of participating in one of Dani's white anti-racist accountability groups with a cohort of other white-identifying people. Dani was incredibly skilled at integrating theory and reality into an experience that was both deeply educational and transformational for me. Dani is the epitome of a "warm demander," leading the cohort with confidence, command of content, warmth, and humor. She challenged the group to ask ourselves tough questions, push our thinking, and come to terms with our faults while providing gentle support along the way so our defenses stayed down and we could really process and learn. Dani walks her talk and her modeling of openness and vulnerability allowed everyone in the group to be at ease during triggering conversations. Through the cohort experience, I became more aware of the layers of my own white privilege and how they relate to the systemic racism prevalent in our country. Gaining this understanding has helped me become a better ally to People of Color in my personal community and given me tools to integrate these learnings into my work.
I worked with Dani as a participant in a white Anti-Racist Accountability Cohort. After participating in that group, I asked Dani to lead a workshop for our white staff with similar content to the cohort. Her ability to bring in context, theory, and application to help white people navigate race issues in order to become more effective and conscious anti-racists is outstanding. The content of her workshop was a perfect fit for our staff team and helped us provide a groundwork for future discussions and feedback to take place more easily. It has helped our whole team work more closely and authentically with one another.
