Heather McDanel is the founder of Amethyst Consulting, an advisory company focusing on organizations in transition. An entrepreneurial thinker with 20 years of experience as a non-profit leader, Heather has launched several local, regional, and nationwide initiatives. She uses her experiences to help clients grow their businesses, advising on topics including revenue and budget planning, board curation, strategic planning, developing a standout brand, effective staffing structures, and creating a strong organizational culture. Heather also serves as the Leadership Consultant with the Independence Foundation. In this role she oversees the peer learning initiatives of the Foundation, and facilitates the Conversations About Change Cohort comprised of executive directors, board chairs and rising leaders of grantee organizations.
Until May 2016, Heather was the Founder and Executive Director of Students Run Philly Style, one of the largest youth movements in Philadelphia. With Students Run Philly Style she created a public health initiative that empowered teenagers from every zip code in Philadelphia to push themselves further than they imagined, with the ultimate goal of running a marathon. During Heather’s 12 year tenure, the organization grew to serve more than 1,000 students annually at 55 schools and community centers. The organization’s budget more than doubled, bringing it to over $1M and positioning it for further growth. Expanding upon her work in Philadelphia, Heather created a national network of similar organizations throughout the country.
Prior to founding Students Run Philly Style, Heather was the Director of Special Projects at the National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC). As second in command, she helped grow NNCC membership from 40 to over 100 nurse managed health center members throughout the country. Heather promoted the recognition and acceptance of nurse managed centers by advocating at the local, state and national levels, and enhanced members’ capabilities and programs by establishing public health programs that were implemented in member centers.
Heather has been an invited speaker on topics including program design and revenue models, volunteer management, board construction, non-profit earned revenue strategies, and PR/media strategy. An active volunteer, Heather has given her time to service projects in India, Germany, Italy and the United States. She was recently selected for a U.S. State Department-funded initiative to mentor a rising leader at a youth-focused sport-for-social change organization in Brazil.
Heather holds a B.A. in Biology from Bloomsburg University and a Master’s in Public Health from Temple University. Before her career in public health, Heather was a molecular biology technician at the Fox Chase Cancer Center. Heather has three children and lives in Merion Station, PA.