Meet Danielle Varda | Mom, Community Leader, Scientist, Business Owner, Gardener, Elected Official

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Varda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
I’m a single mom to three spirited girls (16, 13, and 11 years old). I have spent my entire career taking risks, embracing change, and leaning into new opportunities. I became a mom and professor in my 20’s, build my first business and got tenure in my 30’s, started my second business and was elected to public office in my 40’s, and I hope to continue to show them that they never have to stop growing.

For my girls, I think the most important thing I have done is demonstrate courage and relentless commitment to leading a values-driven life. Every decision I have made it guided by my commitment to strengthen community for better collaborative outcomes. It was not always clear that I would be successful, but I am certain that without brave action, we will never be better than we are today.

I believe my girls will be strong leaders, driven by the same values we share as a family. By sharing in the work I do as a business and community leader, they are learning how to develop their own ways of working and leading.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am the CEO and Founder of Visible Network Labs, a data science technology platform that provides insights for government and nonprofit agencies on their social connectedness. I started down this path as a researcher and professor. By training, I am a Network Scientist (the science of how things are connected). I became skilled in social network analysis methods, and simultaneously fell in love with working in communities to make this science accessible. After a few years as a Policy Scientist at the RAND Corporation in CA, I returned to CO as an Associate Professor (eventually with tenure) at the University of CO Denver in the School of Public Affairs. During my tenure, I launched the Center on Network Science and began building PARTNER – my data science platform to measure collaboration. After some time, I submitted two invention disclosures to the University and was eventually awarded all of my technology and related IP. That is when I started VNL. It has been an incredible journey turning ideas into tech and then into a business. After COVID, when my team needed a place to meet, I started another business – The Arvada Community Room. A gathering space in the heart of Olde Town Arvada. When my team is not meeting there, I rent it out for all kinds of gatherings, from baby showers to celebrations of life to community meetings. About 4 years ago, I decided to run for public office, and I am now a Jefferson County School Board Director. And I’m already working on my next aspiration – to become a CO State House Rep.

Doing all of this has been a lot of work! And yes, I am often faced with challenges, from small ones that are easy to figure out, to really big challenges that took all the courage I had to overcome. I have grown our company to double-digit employees and millions in revenue, and I have also had to do reductions and find ways to make payroll month to month. Always, I have been surrounded by a team of people who believe in the work and are all-in on the mission and product.

What sets us apart is our unique combination as a technology company that has an in-house data science team, working hand in hand to build a platform with reliable, strong methods. We do all of this work in service to building community capacity to use data in their practice. We have a strong background of university researchers, combined with the skills to build a complex data science platform, and a mission-driven commitment to making an impact.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
To be honest, I wouldn’t really go far.

I had the opportunity to do just this recently. My good friend Yesenia came to visit me from our hometown in El Paso. We spent many years having fun on the border of Mexico, but now as almost 50-years olds, we much prefer a quieter time together, catching up, telling stories, and making great food.

When we did go out, we spent an afternoon at our barn, grooming and riding our horse, feeding the baby animals, and laughing at the chickens. We ended the day watching the most beautiful sunset (the same thing I try to do every summer evening).

We also visited family – my dad and sister and their families. We recalled a lot of memories and all ended up watching an outdoor movie togerther.

We also drove to Breckenridge where we have a time share, went swimming and reserved the movie room (just because we could).

We took our dogs down to the Golden Whitewater playpark. I used to be a competitive whitewater kayaker, and now it’s always a stop I make with friends, walking up and down the creek and watching those that are still in the river every day.

I love my house, my garden, my girls, and our neighborhood. So feeling grounded her, with the people I love it really my happiest place.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been blessed with incredible mentors throughout my life, and it would be hard to name just one. I know that without the support of many people, I would never have had the courage to take every next step.

When I joined AmeriCorps NCCC, I was lucky enough to work as a team leader under the mentorship of Vaughn, Cottman, He was the first person to call me out of a group and give me a leadership position. I remember feeling a little embarrassed about it all, but he told me he believed I was the right person to do the job. And it was the first time I saw myself as a leader.

In grad school, Dr. Peter deLeon became my dissertation chair after a few years as my advisor. I always say that he took me under his wing and never let go. He told me, “whatever it is you are going, keep doing it”, encouraging me to trust myself and let my mind expand to think in new and creative ways. He unleashed my innovative side, albeit through science and research. He once told me I was a very “colorful” person. That has always stuck with me. I interpreted that to mean curious, diverse, and willing to see the world in many ways. I often describe the complexity around us as colorful, and I am grateful to him for helping me see the world that way.

Pam Coleman has become my steadfast friend and advisor. She served under Obama and Biden, and with the Governor of New Mexico. She is a business leader, a campaign guru, and the smartest woman I know. One day she told me, “Danielle, every time we talk, you pose a problem, spend an hour talking through every possibility, loop, and twist, and almost always end with the conclusion you started with. Trust your intuition; you are almost always right.” This was such an important lesson for me to learn. Listening to my intuition has been an important step in my success. In fact, she once shared the Rumi quote “As you start to walk the way, the way appears.” I now live by that!

Finally, my mom. She was just about everything I am not – she was policitally and religiously different from me, never wanted any kind of leadership role, and we hardly ever saw eye to eye. But she was the first female business owner I knew, which I always admired. She always got back up whenever she stumbled, and had serious conviction. She fought cancer casually at first, and then with calm and sadness at the end. She was graceful, a deep thinker, and I miss her her day. As I get older, I realize how much we are actually alike, and I am grateful for that.

Website: www.visiblenetworklabs.com www.arvadacommunityroom.com www.vardaforcolorado.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-varda/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielle.varda