• 2013 MLK, Jr. Cultural Foundation, Inc. Outstanding Educator Award

• 2013 The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Northern Virginia Chapter Excellence in Mentoring Award

• 2014 Northern Virginia Magazine's Northern Virginians of the Year

• 2014 Fairfax County NAACP Community Service Award

• 2015 Leadership Arlington's 40 Under 40

• 2016 National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs Incorporated Community Service Award

• 2016 Women Impact Now, Inc. The Celebration of Women Who Impact Our Community Honoree

• 2017 and 2018 Volunteer Gold Star Award from Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) for GIRL's partnership with the NCS Cross Regional Technology Programs

• 2019 George Mason University Black Alumni Chapter Forty under 40 Honoree

• 2020 Nonprofit Leader Award Honoree

• 2021 GMU College of Humanities and Social Sciences Alumni Service Award

Danielle Craddock

Danielle is the owner of Danielle B. Craddock LLC and founder of Girls Inspired & Ready to Lead, Inc. (GIRL), an award winning nonprofit she ran for over 12 years. Through GIRL, Danielle exposed middle and high school girls to career opportunities with workshops, career conferences, STEAM camps, and company visits which have included Microsoft, Exxon Mobile, HP Enterprises, The Aerospace Corporation and PBS. Danielle co-founded the award-winning Females of Color Underrepresented in STEM (FOCUS) summer camp in partnership with George Mason University’s College of Science. Her efforts with GIRL have been spotlighted on ABC 7 News Good Morning Washington (WJLA-TV) and in The Washington Post. She was named a 2014 Northern Virginian of the Year by Northern Virginia Magazine, 2015 NAACP Community Service Award recipient, 2015 Leadership Arlington 40 Under 40 honoree, and 2020 Nonprofit Leader Award recipient from Leadership Fairfax. 

Danielle’s new book, Launchpad to Success, provides a roadmap for teens to begin pursuing their dream careers. The tips are based on events GIRL curated to mentor and empower teen girls. Also, included are twenty- five stories by former GIRL participants who describe how GIRL impacted them throughout their journey of preparing for college and pursuing their career passions, developing their leadership abilities, and gaining confidence.

Danielle has served as a keynote speaker at the Hampton Roads Conference for Girls and Young Women; Jack and Jill of America Eastern Regional Conference; and many schools, churches, and community organizations in the Mid-Atlantic. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Old Dominion University, a Master of Arts in Higher Education-Student Services from George Mason University, and a certificate in Financial Success for Nonprofits from Cornell University. She and her husband live in Northern Virginia with their daughter and son.

Danielle’s passion for inspiring girls began in college where she tutored and mentored a fourth grade girl at an elementary school in Norfolk, VA near Old Dominion University. Because of her mentee’s progress, Danielle and her mentee were selected to be featured in a video on mentoring produced by the Norfolk Public Schools. After graduating college, Danielle returned home to Fairfax County, VA and began mentoring middle and high school girls through sessions called “Girl Talk” at a local community center. She decided to expand her mentoring efforts and formed GIRL in 2010, realizing that girls in the suburbs, as well as those in the inner city, face challenges of homelessness, low academic achievement, low self-esteem, bullying, and exposure to negative images of women in the media. She has worked for the Gates Millennium Scholars Program at the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Headquarters.