Team — Centered Advising

Our Team

Danielle M. Allen

Founder & Managing Director

Serving as a trusted advisor, strategist, and coach, Danielle has supported the distribution of more than $275M and the launch of more than a dozen new organizations and efforts across the country. Danielle has worked with funders, education-focused nonprofits, family foundations, and collectives to set vision and design tailored strategies for rapid progress, recruit inspiring leaders to key roles, and advance national and local advocacy efforts.

As a social entrepreneur, she brings her passion for impact, commitment to centering communities, and her belief in a better future to every new project, business, or collective she plays a part in. Danielle lives in Raleigh, NC, where she enjoys front porch-sitting, hosting family and friends, and planning her next travel adventure.

Professional Experience

Before starting Centered Advising, Danielle was the Managing Partner at Building Impact, a philanthropic advising firm, for seven years. In addition to directly advising clients, she led the organization’s strategic growth through its start-up phase, aligning vision and goals, hiring and developing the core team, and building out the client services, finance, and marketing functions.

Previous roles include Director of Partnership Development at Mass Insight, a national school turnaround and research nonprofit, where she served on the leadership team and oversaw strategic planning. She also worked at NewSchools Venture Fund, supporting geographically-based and ed-tech investments, and at the District of Columbia Public Schools, leading autonomy and turnaround strategies for the school innovation team.

Affiliations & Education

Danielle is a member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC), a 21/64 Certified Advisor, and a CaPP Institute Certified Coach. She also currently serves on the board of Green Schools National Network.

Danielle holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School of Government and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and is a Harry S. Truman Scholar. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Public Policy and Economics from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain Scholar.