Danielle Tschirhart is the founder of Perch Collaborative, an organizational support firm dedicated to empowering leaders by alleviating the administrative burdens that can detract from their core mission. Perch specializes in facilities management, compliance and reporting, board relations, data analytics, project management, and other operational and financial functions. Danielle founded Perch in 2023, driven by her fifteen years of experience seeking sustainable solutions in mission-driven organizations and recognizing that operational excellence is critical to achieving meaningful impact. Perch partners with non-profits, schools, and other mission-focused organizations to streamline operations so leaders can focus on serving their communities effectively.

 

Before founding Perch Collaborative, Danielle served as Chief Operating Officer at Democracy Prep Public Schools, where she led teams across data, IT, operations, facilities, compliance, enrollment, and external affairs. She also spearheaded network growth initiatives, including managing real estate projects nationwide, such as the construction of a 90,000-square-foot facility in the Bronx designed to serve over 900 students. Additionally, she developed strategic growth and sustainability plans for Democracy Prep's five regions across the country and safely reopened 24 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Danielle has held leadership roles in operations and finance at various New York City-based non-profit organizations, where she oversaw operational and financial functions. Earlier in her career, she led an all-girls middle school serving grades 5-8 on Manhattan's Lower East Side, worked as a charter school evaluator and authorizer at the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, and began her professional journey as an 8th-grade English Language Arts teacher in East Harlem and the Bronx with Teach for America.