Danielle Schmutz has spent the past 15+ years building teams and strengthening programs, interventions, fund development, and operations at startups and nonprofit organizations in health and education. In September 2024, Danielle rejoined Beacon House as Executive Director, marking her return to the organization where she previously served as Director of Programs and Operations from 2014 to 2019. During her initial tenure at Beacon House, she played a key role in program development and transformation, operational effectiveness, fundraising, donor relations, and financial management. Danielle is deeply committed to ensuring that the children and families at Beacon House feel supported and have opportunities to thrive both in school and in life.

Most recently, Danielle held multiple leadership roles on the founding teams of Surgo Ventures, a global public health organization focused on leveraging data to solve major health challenges, and Surgo Health, an affiliated data and data analytics health tech startup. Danielle began her career working with universities and nonprofit organizations focused on youth, mentoring, and social justice initiatives in Michigan. Danielle received an MSW in Management and Policy from the University of Michigan and a BS in Sociology and Child Development from Central Michigan University.

Outside of work, you can find Danielle throwing clay in the pottery studio, dabbling in athletic feats, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and their pup, Pearl. Danielle is a resident of Northeast DC’s Ward 5, where Beacon House is based.