Crisis Connections Name Michelle McDaniel New CEO

Crisis Connections today announced that its board of directors has appointed Michelle McDaniel (she/her) as chief executive officer. Michelle McDaniel is an accomplished senior executive with over 30 years’ experience in healthcare, non-profit, social enterprise and government sectors. Michelle is a proactive leader with a passion for service and furthering equity who is frequently called upon to provide direction, stabilize and grow business operations, and successfully achieve results under pressure. Michelle’s career is rooted in her passion for ensuring the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable community members.

 

“As Michelle McDaniel takes the helm of Crisis Connections as CEO, we are grateful for her passion for our mission and appreciate her impressive span of expertise” said David Johnson, President of the Board of Trustees of Crisis Connections. “In the years of her career leading to this point Michelle has developed outstanding executive leadership skills, a tremendous capacity to enhance the work of fine teams, to organize outstanding strategies and to operate with exceptional financial acumen. We especially appreciate her deep belief in opportunities for great resiliency and recovery within those facing huge challenges. We admire the excellent experiences she has had through her achievements at FareStart, an impressive and innovative organization. We are enthused about having Michelle’s array of strengths to help guide us into our future.”

 

Michelle rejoins Crisis Connections after serving on the Board of Directors twice, first in the late 90’s and again from 2013 – 2016, as well as having been on the Senior Leadership Team from 2000 – 2005, where her accomplishments include launching the King County 2-1-1 service.

 

Just prior to joining Crisis Connections, Michelle served as the Chief Development Officer and later Chief Mission & Enterprise Officer at FareStart. During her 8 years at FareStart, she was an instrumental part of the organization’s significant expansion, paving the way for a broader impact on poverty and homelessness in the Greater Seattle area.

 

Additional career highlights include serving as the Regional Chief Development Officer at the American Red Cross - Western Washington Chapters, as well as Behavioral Health Emergency Manager for Public Health – Seattle & King County in their disaster preparedness and response division.

 

Born and raised in the Seattle area, Michelle’s "first" career was as a mental health professional for 10 years, supporting adults and youth at Navos Mental Health Solutions.

 

Michelle also finds time to volunteer as a mentor and consultant, assisting organizations such as Susan G. Komen Puget Sound, Ballard Food Bank, Renton Historical Museum, as well as the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs.

 

Michelle has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Seattle University and a Masters in Business Administration from City University of Seattle.