DANIELLE SIMONE NEVELES
Danielle Simone Neveles is a strategic communications expert and community leader who advocates on behalf of minority women through community initiatives, mentorship, motivational speaking and writing anchored in faith, purpose and advocacy. Danielle aspires to transform the lives of others through artistry and activism. She is an author, advocate and poet.
Author
Since the second grade, Danielle has dreamed of being an author. Writing was a form of expression to cope with the loss of her mom. Over time, it grew to be more. Danielle quickly learned that she had a gift for crafting words into characters and stories. In December 2016, she saw her childhood dream fulfilled and published her first book— Modern Psalms of this Woman’s Walk, a poetry collection her journey of loss, pain, hope and faith as she discovered a love for Christ.
Advocate
“Every person matters and every person deserves equality, respect and a fair opportunity. I believe in advocating on behalf of those who cannot advocate for themselves and empowering others to have a voice and use it.”
Danielle aspires to use her gifts to transform the lives of others. Her passion for serving others, empowering girls and diversity has driven her life since an early age. As an adult, Danielle now unites her passion with leadership to transform others. From organizing grassroots service projects through #DoGoodFriday, to mentoring teen girls at West Park Christian to representing the voices of young professionals in the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Advance 317 initiative, she dedicates her time to changing the world around her.
In 2015, she helped form the Lilly Early Career Professionals (ECP) Employee Resource to represent the voices and experiences of early career professionals at Lilly. Today, she serves as chair and works vigorously with her team to advocate for early career professionals and create a more inclusive environment for them to work in at Lilly.
Poet
“I write to make sense of what doesn’t make sense. I write to give a voice to those who don’t have words for how they feel.”
​
In the fourth grade, poetry became one of Danielle’s favorite forms of expression because of its ability to covey emotion. From then on, she began writing her own poetry. Her poetry was so inspirational that she was asked to write a poem for her eighth grade graduation program. In 2004, the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing presented her with the Dudley Randall Poetry Award for her poem "Being Black". Today, she continues to write inspiring and engaging poetry on her blog danielleneveles.wordpress.com.
​
Danielle was born on the Southside of Chicago, IL. She graduated with a High School Diploma from Seton Academy in South Holland, IL. She received her Bachelors of Arts in journalism from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). After graduating from IUPUI, she worked as a freelance newspaper journalist with the Chicago Suntimes’ SouthtownStar and Chicago Southeast Observer and through these experiences, she honed her knack for telling stories. Currently, Danielle is a global communications manager at Eli Lilly and Company, where she manages and develops the global external communications strategy for the immunology therapeutic area. In her free time, Danielle enjoys traveling with her sister and reading.