Michelle McDaniel

“I had the distinct pleasure of working alongside Michelle McDaniel at FareStart, where she served as the Chief Mission and Enterprise Officer. It is my honor to provide this recommendation for Michelle, now CEO at Crisis Connections. Michelle's leadership is both passionate and compassionate, a combination that is as rare as it is powerful. Her commitment to our mission was always unwavering, and her understanding of the intricate needs of development, operations, and programs was truly inspiring. In her role, she led our programs and operations with a fine-tuned balance of strategic vision and attention to detail. Her approach was always people-centered, fostering an environment of collaboration and inclusivity. She consistently encouraged our team to exceed their own expectations, resulting in a track record of exceptional performance under her stewardship. Michelle’s candor, kindness, and ability to ask the right questions —especially the tough ones is unmatched. What also stood out to me about Michelle was not just her exceptional leadership skills, but also her capacity for empathy. She has the unique ability to connect with people on a deep, meaningful level, which I believe is a testament to her success as a leader in our field. As CEO at Crisis Connections, I am confident that she continues to make significant contributions through her compassionate leadership, profound understanding of mission-oriented work, and steadfast dedication to team development. I highly recommend Michelle McDaniel for any leadership role – her passion and commitment are truly unparalleled.”

“I had the pleasure of working with Michelle at the American Red Cross - Western Washington Chapters. I reported directly to Michelle as the Database Operations Manager. Michelle is an excellent supervisor, fair handed, sets clear expectations, and supports her team anyway she can. She isn't afraid to work at any level and in so doing earns the respect of everyone who works for her. Michelle has a unique understanding of the importance of infrastructure to the Development Office. My role at the American Red Cross was managing that support and infrastructure and coordinating with the national office. It was nice to work with someone, like Michelle, who understood the stakes of having an accurate and easy to use relationship management database. She understood the impact it would have on her and her frontline fundraising staff. She encouraged my advocacy on behalf of the fundraisers when I was coordinating with the national office's programs and new initiatives. She had an open door policy and I always felt heard and validated. The whole time I was at the American Red Cross I felt supported, encouraged, challenged, and part of the team. Michelle had the most important role in creating that work atmosphere. Michelle set very high expectations but everything was well thought out and she supported her staff in a way that we knew she was there to help. She has excellent interpersonal, organizational, planning and problem-solving skills. Any organization would be better off with her at the head of their Development team and I would work with Michelle again.”