Danielle A. Beard
Danielle Beard is a Chaplain serving the Urbana-Champaign area with a strong commitment to providing compassionate spiritual care in healthcare settings. She currently works as a PRN Chaplain at Carle Foundation Hospital, part of Carle Health, where she has been serving for the past two years. In this role, she works on an as-needed basis, often covering nights and weekends, and is frequently called to the emergency department to support patients and families during traumatic events such as accidents and sudden crises. Her work focuses on offering calm, presence, and spiritual support in some of the most critical and emotionally difficult moments in healthcare.
Danielle’s experience in healthcare chaplaincy began in 2010 at Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago. She went on to serve at Advocate Condell Medical Center in the Chicago area and spent approximately six years working in a nursing home setting, where she supported residents and families through long-term care, aging, and end-of-life transitions. Across these roles, she developed a deep foundation in pastoral care, grief support, and interdisciplinary collaboration within clinical environments.
Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Illinois, earned in 2006, and she initially worked as a music teacher before discerning a calling into spiritual care and ministry. She later earned her Master of Divinity from Northern Seminary in 2013 and completed a Master of Public Policy at DePaul University in 2021, with the long-term goal of establishing a nonprofit organization. In addition to her chaplaincy work, Danielle recently launched a TikTok content creation platform, where she shares karaoke singing and gaming livestreams, steadily growing her audience while combining creativity, connection, and community engagement.
• Master of Divinity and Religion
• Master of Public Policy
• University of Illinois - BA, Music
• Northern Seminary - MDiv, Theology/Theological Studies
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - MEd, Curriculum and Instruction
• DePaul University - Master of Public Policy
• Participation in ICE Out protests through church
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say friends that have helped me. My dad, he passed away in 2012, but I would say he was a really good influence on me. I've always had a lot of friends helping me out and giving me support, and I would say I've been through a lot of therapy. I have quite a few mental health issues, so I'm autistic. I also struggle with depression and anxiety. I have bipolar one. And I frequently struggle with depression, so therapy's been important, and so I think my therapists have been really helpful. That way I can get myself out of my depression and stay positive.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would just say be confident, and be yourself. I think, you know, I'm coming up to 42, and I think that's maybe one of the most difficult things for me is just to develop that confidence in myself. And so, yeah, I feel like you know, you just gotta be authentic, and you just do things that you enjoy and do them really well and be confident in yourself.