Know Your HBS Staff: Daneli Ureña
by Shona Simkin ![]() Daneli Ureña’s passion for people, service work, and leadership development has taken her all over the world. Now, as a coaching and program coordinator with the Career and Professional Development Office at Harvard Business School, she’s helping students present their best self in job interviews. We talked with Daneli about the progression of her career, her love of travel and food, and more. What was your path to HBS? One day, I mentioned to my manager that I wanted to take on extra hours, and an opportunity came up to support the director of the MBA Program with administrative calendar work. Through a series of conversations, I began to see that there might be a career path for me at HBS. By then, my side business was up and running, and I had been an OLF for about two and a half years. I was craving more interaction with people, so I decided to explore a full-time, in-person role. I applied for the customer service specialist position in the Career and Professional Development Office, worked in that role for a year, and then transitioned to my current position as coaching and program coordinator in December. What is your side business, and what did you do before coming to HBS? My journey has been a bit unconventional. I’m trained as a teacher and taught middle and high school Spanish. After a few years I felt moved through my Christian faith to do something internationally and I went into nonprofit work with children and youth. I traveled to Asia, parts of Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America—it was a meaningful experience to listen to young people and their struggles and remind them of their inherent value. I learned a lot about international development and its challenges in different contexts. That led me to pursue a master’s in international development, and I moved to California to attend theological seminary. I realized I wanted to focus on people and their leadership development—helping people grow as they do the hard work in front of them. I then worked for an international organization focusing on leadership development around the world, teaching for their master’s program in organizational leadership and leading informal leadership workshops. After almost 10 years of international nonprofit work, I took a two-year sabbatical to explore what else I wanted to do. That’s when HBS came into the picture! It’s been quite a journey that’s been integral to who I am. I come from a family deeply involved in service, and that’s at the core of who we are and how we engage with the world. I never imagined that this foundation would take me around the world, changing and challenging my views and values along the way. What is your work like day to day? Right now, I’m scheduling coaches for February, which is when we have practice interviews for students in both years. We offer in-person and virtual interview practice—students get about 40 minutes to practice with a coach and receive feedback. We also run programs for job search strategy, and career visioning. How do you view the progression of your role? How do you find balance with this role and your business? Tell us more about your family and history of service work. What do you like to do in your spare time? I’m also a foodie. If you want to win me over, recommend a favorite spot or, better yet, take me there so we can experience it together. Food is everything, especially when shared with good company. If you ask anyone who knows me, they’d say my two great loves are travel and food. I also enjoy a good book—I love learning, especially about leadership, people development, and global perspectives that deepen my understanding of different cultures. Beyond that, I cultivate practices that nourish my inner life, like contemplative prayer, hiking in the woods, or walking on the beach—each help me grow and be fully present in the world. |
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