Daniel Varner Email & Phone Number

Detroit, Michigan, Us

Lead a $35-50M organization committed to co-creating independence and dignity through the power of personal and workforce development across the 5-county metro Detroit region. The organization not only provides personal and workforce development programs for over 10,000 people annually, but also serves as the umbrella over four social enterprises: the iconic thrift stores, a tier-1 kitting and assembly supplier to the automobile and other industries, a wholly-owned industrial recycling subsidiary, and a contract labor workforce.

Led the organization—created in 2010 by a coalition of the city’s leading philanthropic, community-based, civic, and educational institutions—that served as the primary regional intermediary responsible for creating the conditions to ensure an excellent education for every Detroit child, cradle-to-career, by 2020. The organization used communications, incubation, advocacy, stakeholder alignment, and actionable information to help families choose high quality education options, to support the opening of high-potential new schools and early learning programs (ELPs), to improve the performance of existing schools and ELPs, and to encourage the closing of the worst Detroit schools.Excellent Schools Detroit created a first-of-its-kind community-informed scorecard on school and ELP performance that combined data from community site visits with student performance, incubated innovative and successful programs, including 482Forward (an education-focused community organizing coalition), Linked Learning Detroit (later adopted by the United Way for Southeastern Michigan as a primary program), numerous talent investment programs for K-12 and ELP educators, and the Detroit College Access Network, which hosted a visit from First Lady Michelle Obama as a result of its successful work. Many of the innovative strategies created by the organization are now being implemented by education and community organizations throughout Detroit.Finally, co-led with a broad set of stakeholders, the 2014-15 advocacy effort of the Coalition on the Future of Detroit School Children, which resulted in a multi-million dollar investment in public education in Detroit.

Battle Creek, Mi, Us

Co-led and designed the Detroit investment strategy for one of the largest private foundations in the country and world, as it changed strategic direction to invest primarily in priority places, including Detroit. Managed a $22M Detroit grant portfolio; made approximately $7M in new grants annually. Also made grants across the country in support of the education and learning goals of the foundation. Represented the foundation in public speaking engagements in Detroit.

Detroit, Mi, Us

Led two organizations (Think Detroit and Detroit PAL), whose constituents included 45 total members of two Boards of Directors, and the Mayor and Chief of Police of the City of Detroit, through a merger and reorganization, resulting in the creation of Think Detroit PAL (today called Detroit PAL), one of the city’s largest youth development agencies and the largest provider of youth sports programming in the city of Detroit (12,000 youth; 1,500 volunteers). Responsible for $2.5M budget and all operations, including including oversight of programs for 12,000 children annually, capital improvement, physical plant maintenance, information systems, human resources, finance and budget administration, fundraising, public relations, and marketing.

Co-founded Think Detroit, a nonprofit organization that in 7 years became the second largest youth recreation provider in the City of Detroit, delivering award-winning programming to more than 5,000 youth annually. Think Detroit received national acclaim for its unique blend of youth sports, technology, and leadership development programming, including a visit from First Lady Laura Bush, the 2003 Social Entrepreneurship Award from the Manhattan Institute, and feature coverage in the New York Times. Built necessary consensus among combative Detroit constituencies, including the City Council, Mayor’s Office, Detroit Public Schools, Detroit Recreation Department, and surrounding community in support of $1.2M renovation of a major Detroit park with historic site designation. Accountable for $1.3M annual budget and all operations, including programs, capital improvements, physical plant maintenance, information systems, human resources, and finance and budget administration. During that time, the organization received numerous awards for excellence in operations, including Best Managed Nonprofit, Crain’s Detroit Business, in 2004.

Now called Project Tomorrow, NetDay was a company that created and managed volunteer projects to install computer networks in schools across the United States. As the Detroit Director of the NextDay Project, I managed the Detroit portion of a national project to integrate computer technology into the curricula of all public schools in federally-designated empowerment zones. Recruited corporations and volunteers for, and organized and supervised the installation of network wiring at 8 Detroit schools.

J.D.

B.A., History

Education record