A little bit about me

After a year working on farms in Australia, I found myself teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at a community college. It grew my teaching acumen immensely! Adults from all backgrounds, cultures, ages, and varying degrees of culture shock, all challenged me to always take myself, my instruction and the lessons to a higher level. You can teach a course twice, but it's never the same. 

I graduated with an MS in Nonprofit Management from The New School in New York City in 2012, but I found myself returning to the education sector thinking how to tie all my experiences together. I traveled to Costa Rica and South Africa working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that specialized in English language programs, early childhood education, and conservation programs. It was there that I realized the importance of relevant and on-target curriculum. Imagine teaching environmental content with no visuals - not a single picture? If an organization wants to make a greater impact, the curriculum has to be culturally aware, relevant, adaptable, and consistent. This is all at the center of creating deep change within communities.

In 2019, I took the semester off teaching ESL to work as a Leadership Resident for the Harpswell Foundation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was there my nonprofit and education interests officially merged. Soon after my return to the United States, I launched a career as a curriculum consultant for nonprofits and NGOs. Since then, I have worked with small to medium nonprofits that were looking to enhance or create original education or training curricula. 

I call Texas home and lament the heat just like every Texan I know. I am also an avid runner and completed my first (and maybe last) ultra marathon, the Hachie 50km (31 miles) in 2021. So, if you have a race recommendation, feel free to send that along with your project description!

Check out these podcast appearances

 Host: The Nonprofit MBA Podcast 

Positive Training for Nonprofit Boards, Staff, and Volunteers

Positive training serves as a potent instrument for boosting the efficiency and contentment of nonprofit boards, staff, and volunteers. By emphasizing individual strengths, offering constructive feedback, and building a nurturing environment, your nonprofit can nurture a driven, united, and high-achieving team committed to fulfilling its mission. Thus, investing in positive training methods represents a commitment to the future prosperity and longevity of your organization. In today’s podcast, Danielle Gines from DG Consultancy and Stephen Halasnik from Financing Solutions, a leading provider of business loans for nonprofits, discuss positive training for nonprofit boards, staff, and volunteers.

Read an Executive Summary or Listen to the Podcast HERE: Positive Training for Nonprofit Boards, Staff, and Volunteers presentations & Workshops

Additional Presentation Topics Include:

• Developing Self-Esteem Strategies — Leadership seminar for university female students in Cambodia with The Harpswell Foundation
• “The Value of Incorporating Empathy” — Global Learning Conference, Tarrant County College 
• "Teaching English in Context and "From Global to Local" — TexTESOL Region V Conference
• “How to Leverage your Small to Medium Nonprofit” — Texas Social Media Conference 
• "Global Classrooms" Workshop — Fort Worth Sister Cities International

I'm also a member of these organizations.

(817) 330-4193 / hello@dgconsultancy.us