Her Story
About Danielle
I began my career as a kids' activities manager at gyms, where I ran state-funded camps and was in charge of all regulatory compliance, inspections, and licensing. Safety was such a big part of what I did - managing the department, training young adults who worked for me, and taking care of children through constant safety trainings, drills, and audits. After being off work for about a year due to cancer and then COVID, I started at Brook Army Medical Center, initially as a secretary, knowing I would move into the environmental health and safety position. Becoming the site safety officer was a major goal for me, and I'm proud that I earned 7 certifications in about 2 years while raising 5 kids and homeschooling 2 of them. My work focuses on keeping everybody compliant and keeping everything safe, which has been a passion throughout my career. As a 4'11" African-American female in a male-driven field working with facilities maintenance, plumbers, and HVAC technicians, I've had to overcome preconceived notions and prove my knowledge while maintaining my bubbly personality and ensuring people understand that what I'm saying is serious and that I know what I'm talking about.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Danielle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to grit and determination. I'm not a person who takes no for an answer. If I want it, I'm going to try to go achieve it. I'm not gonna let things stand in my way, whether that be health constraints or time constraints or anything like that. I'm that girl who's gonna try to go achieve my task, even when people put roadblocks in my way. Yeah, I would say just mostly grit and determination.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The biggest thing I would say is what I tell my daughters: stay true to yourself. The biggest goal is to figure out who you are, what your moral compass is, what your belief system is, and things like that, and try to stay true to that, no matter where you go in life, and no matter who you come across, or the relationships that you have. I feel like if you do that, you'll be successful.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge in the field is being a female in a male-driven field and getting past the preconceived notions of being not just a female, but an African-American female. I'm small in stature, I'm 4'11", and I have a tendency to have a very bubbly personality. Trying to get people to take you seriously in a male-driven field - whether it was when I was working at the gym or now working in safety with facilities maintenance, plumbers, and HVAC - and getting people to understand that you are knowledgeable in what you're speaking of, I think is one of the biggest challenges or hurdles that you go through. Trying to maintain my personality while still getting people to understand that I know what I'm talking about and everything is serious is the biggest challenge.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think for work and personal, most of it is integrity. It's staying true to self, being honest, and paying attention to detail. I feel like that guides me in all of my avenues of life, whether it be parenting, or marriage, or work.
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