Danielle Shea graduated in May of 2019 with a major in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and Organizational Communication, a minor in Public Administration, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management. Danielle now works for the Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA as the Director of Marketing and Communications.
What do you do now? I now work as the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA. In this role I develop and execute our strategic marketing plan, manage all social media platforms and our website, plan events/major fundraisers, organize membership campaigns, assist with annual and capital campaigns, and help with fund development. I love that every day is different and enjoy working for an organization that makes such a large community impact. I also appreciate our wide variety of programming as it spans from child care, to youth sports, group exercise classes, personal training, summer camp, all the way to our Domestic Violence Shelter.
Why did you decide to major in Communication? I chose to become a Communication major because of a project based program called Communities at my high school, Oshkosh North. In this program we addressed real problems in our community that aligned with the curriculum to help make a community impact. Some of these projects included interviewing war veterans and video taping their stories for their families to have for generations to come, raising money for our school fund that helped students who were less fortunate, assisting with an event called CARE Days where students with disabilities competed in track and field events and attended a carnival, to name a few. Throughout my three years in the program, I started to notice that I loved connecting with community members, sharing the good things we were doing, planning the events, and crafting the messages that would help others know about the events and projects we were working on. When touring UW-Green Bay my tour guide was a Communication major and after hearing more about the program and going to a preview day strictly about the program, I fell in love with the department, teaching philosophies specifically the hands on aspects of the program. I knew UW Green Bay was not only the school for me, but the Communication department would challenge me and help prepare me for the life I wanted to live and career I wanted to have post graduation.
What academic experience or accomplishment are you most proud of? I would say that my two biggest accomplishments were graduating with a Chancellors Medallion and being the Director of Communication Week in 2019. To me, receiving the Chancellors Medallion was one of my biggest accomplishments because it was the culminating award that recognized my dedication to academic success, campus and community involvement, and leadership that I displayed while being a student. I loved my time at UW – Green Bay and it was extremely important to me that I took as many opportunities I possibly could to grow both in and out of the classroom. This is also why being the Director of Communication Week was so important to me. It was a fantastic way to put all that I had learned over the past few years into a project outside the classroom and hopefully engage other students to do the same. It was incredibly rewarding and taught me a lot.
What is an important goal or accomplishment you are currently working on? I am a person who thrives on continuous improvement, personal and professional development. With this being said my goal for my first year out of college is to soak up as much as I possibly can, find a mentor (or a few), and develop short term and long term goals that will one day help be become CEO of a Nonprofit organization. Post graduation I also decided to relocate to Dubuque, IA. It has always been important to me to be involved in the community I live and work in so I am working diligently to find ways to be involved in the Dubuque Community.
What do you do for fun? In my spare time, you will find me spending time with family and friends and enjoying the outdoors. Whether that be kayaking, hiking, swimming, or biking, I love it all. A few of my other hobbies include ballroom dancing, crafting and photography.
What else do you want people to know about you? I love networking, though it can be awkward sometimes, and would love to connect with anyone who is willing to share experiences with me. I am always open to new speakers, or podcasts, books, or thought leaders that others have found helpful in their personal or professional development.
