Dr. Danielle R. Gilmore is the inaugural Director of Learning & Research at BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board governance. She leads organization-wide research and learning efforts focused on how boards influence equity, accountability, and systems change across the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

At BoardSource, Dr. Gilmore directs Leading with Intent—the largest national study on nonprofit board leadership—and oversees research aligned with BoardSource’s Theory of Practice. Her work applies and studies Purpose-Driven Board Leadership (PDBL), a governance framework that centers purpose, equity, and partnership with the communities organizations serve. She builds systems that translate data into actionable insights for boards, foundations, and nonprofit leaders, advancing organizational learning and sector-wide impact.

Dr. Gilmore specializes in evaluations aimed at systemic change and brings deep expertise in qualitative research methodologies, particularly phenomenology. A Certified Health Education Specialist, she integrates lived experience and participatory research practices into evaluation, policy, and program design. Her methodologies are trauma-informed, asset-based, and grounded in social-ecological frameworks. Her expertise in capacity building, community engagement, and policy advocacy positions her as a strategic leader in creating informed change.

Before joining BoardSource, Dr. Gilmore served as an Associate at Community Science, where she led qualitative and mixed-methods evaluations focused on systems change, community engagement, and equity. Her portfolio included initiatives in youth development, workforce pathways, health equity, and philanthropy. She designed data collection protocols, facilitated focus groups and interviews, and led large-scale qualitative analyses for multi-site and multi-sector evaluations.

One example of her work includes Connecticut’s Unspoken Crisis: Elevating the Voices of Young People, part of the Dalio Foundation’s Connecticut Opportunity Project. Dr. Gilmore oversaw 74 in-depth interviews with youth disconnected from school and work, co-developed a capacity-building framework for the project’s Community Advisory Group, and co-facilitated public data walks to share findings and drive community dialogue.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Gilmore managed research and evaluation initiatives at Mirror Group, LLC and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, including the multi-institutional PrimeTime Sister Circles randomized controlled trial.

Dr. Gilmore holds a PhD in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in program evaluation from George Washington University, a Master of Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Science in Community and Public Health from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Based in Washington, DC, she enjoys cooking, reading, and playing golf in her free time.

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