Profile In Philanthropy: Danielle Shoots, WFCO Trustee
Danielle Shoots Will Interview 2023 Annual Luncheon Special Guest, Sallie Krawcheck
Danielle is the managing partner and managing director of the New Community Transformation Fund – Denver, an equity venture capital fund for BIPOC founders. She also is president and CEO of Wealth Equity Enterprises, a holdings company that owns several businesses supporting the mission of building BIPOC wealth and leadership. Born and raised in Colorado, Danielle is a graduate of the University of Colorado Denver, where she earned a degree in business administration and is celebrated in a mural on campus. She is a trustee of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado and an honorary luncheon chair. Learn more about Danielle below and purchase your tickets today!
Tell us something people don’t know about you?
People are always surprised to find out that I am an introvert. People assume I am extroverted because of the public speaking.
What does it feel like to be celebrated in a mural in the community you grew up in?
It’s a great honor and a full circle moment. It’s been a lot of hard work and a journey few understand but I am so proud to be a CU Denver grad and so appreciative of them for the recognition. I would be lying if I didn’t say it also creates a level of pressure in my work. I take it very seriously to represent my community in the spaces I do and sometimes I put too much pressure on myself as a result.
What about WFCO’s mission, “catalyzing community to advance and accelerate economic opportunities for women,” resonates with you?
It’s of course the right thing to do at a heart and human level but it is also the only smart way to invest moving forward. Understanding the impact of economic inequities for women who are more than 50% of the U.S. population and even more of the global population is my work every single day. I believe we are a tipping point and if we don’t close the wealth gap on the greatest percentage of our citizens, we cannot continue to grow the overall GDP or create global economic stability.
At what point in your life did your personal philanthropy become important to you?
I received a full ride scholarship for college paid for by the taxpayers of Colorado and I have navigated my entire philanthropic career with my gratitude for the support of strangers at the forefront. It is not just a preference; it is our responsibility to pay it forward when we are given opportunity. I recognize the statistics and how blessed I am to be where I am when it is all said and done, I want to be known as the person who used by access and power to fight the right fights and bring up the right people in the mission to create economic equity.
Who is a woman mentor on your journey you would like to shout out? Why?
My daughter, Layla. She is a wise, confident and centered soul that polishes me and heals me and makes me love myself more and more because when I see myself through her eyes, I know I have done something really important with my life. She is my greatest teacher in everyway. I feel very similar about my mother who is a magical woman who taught me about family, hard work, forgiveness and never, ever made me feel like I was a product of any of my mistakes.
If you had to teach a class, what would it be?
It would be a class I call “Racenomics”- an interconnected study of race, gender, and the macro economy.
