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  1. Home
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  3. Sonia Daniels
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She/Her/Dr

Sonia Daniels

Ph.D.
Founder x Principal Consultant
S. Daniels Consulting
Country or state 
United States (Louisiana)
Available to 
Global
City 
Baton Rouge
Fee 
Languages 
English
Volunteer
No
Timezone 
America/Chicago

Personal Details

Bio

Most organizations don’t fail because of poor leadership or lack of talent. They fail because their systems quietly work against their intentions.

I’m a Ph.D.-trained organizational systems expert and founder of a successful operating company. I work with senior leaders when strategy is clear, people are capable, and execution still isn’t happening.

My keynotes help organizations:

Understand why execution breaks down even in high-performing cultures

Replace blame and burnout with system-level clarity

Build human-centered structures that actually support follow-through

Leaders bring me in when initiatives stall, transformations lose momentum, or “alignment” hasn’t translated into results. I translate complexity into shared language teams can use immediately—without oversimplifying or shaming.

Audiences include executive teams, leadership cohorts, government agencies, and professional associations navigating complex change.

Typical outcomes:

Greater clarity around where work gets stuck, a shared framework for diagnosing execution problems, and practical next steps leaders can act on after the event—not just inspiration that fades by Monday.

Current position (1)

Founder x Principal Consultant

S. Daniels Consulting

Degrees (4)
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy
Southern University and A&M College
2013 to 2018
Master of Public Administration
University of New Orleans
2011 to 2013
Bachelors of General Studies
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
2005 to 2011
Business Administration
Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business
2024

Presentations

Presentations (3)
Why Smart Organizations Get Stuck — And How Systems Set Them Free

High-performing organizations often stall after strategy is approved, structures are changed, or transformation initiatives are launched. Leaders assume the issue is resistance, mindset, or accountability—when in reality, the system itself is quietly blocking execution.

This keynote explains why capable teams get stuck despite clear goals, strong leadership, and good intentions. Drawing on organizational systems research and real-world execution experience, this talk shows how restructures, post-merger integration, OKRs, digital transformation, and AI initiatives frequently fail—not because people aren’t trying, but because incentives, decision pathways, and operating rhythms are misaligned.

Designed for CEOs, CHROs, operations leaders, and strategy teams, this session replaces blame with clarity. Leaders leave with a shared diagnostic framework for identifying where work is getting trapped in the system and how to redesign conditions so progress can resume.

From Intention to Execution: Designing Organizations That Finish the Work

Most organizations are extremely good at launching initiatives—and far less effective at finishing them.

This keynote explores how organizations unintentionally design systems that reward activity, consensus, and optimism while quietly undermining follow-through. Missed deadlines, fading initiatives, and recurring accountability conversations are not personal failures; they are predictable outcomes of how work is structured.

This talk is especially resonant for PMOs, transformation offices, government agencies, and enterprises rolling out large-scale change. Participants learn how decision rights, handoffs, incentives, and governance structures create execution drag—and what to redesign to restore momentum.

Rather than offering productivity hacks or motivational appeals, this session gives leaders practical insight into how execution actually works inside complex organizations—and why good intentions alone are never enough.

Human-Centered Systems: The Future of Leadership, Culture, and Change

Human-centered leadership is widely discussed—but rarely implemented in ways that scale under real organizational pressure.

This keynote challenges the gap between values-based leadership language and the systems organizations actually operate. It explores what human-centered systems look like when they must function across complexity, growth, regulation, and high stakes—not just in theory or pilot programs.

Leaders learn how culture, leadership behavior, and system design interact—and why culture initiatives often collapse when structures, incentives, and workflows remain unchanged. This talk offers a grounded, pragmatic vision for leadership that supports people and performance without relying on slogans or performative culture work.

This session plays particularly well at leadership conferences, DEI and culture events, and innovation-focused summits where audiences are ready to move beyond rhetoric toward operational reality.

Past talks (11)
Powering Equity: How AI Can Level The Playing Field
Black Tech Saturday Digital Empowerment Summit
Detroit, MI
Economic Development for Rural Business
Louisiana Rural Economic Development
Marksville, Louisiana
July 23, 2024
Empowering Team Collaboration and Skill Development with Canva
CollabCon
Orlando, FL
December 12, 2024
The Dating Game: Securing Organizational Partnerships
National Afterschool Association
New York, NY
April 13, 2018
Equity in Action: Integrating DEI into Organizational Strategy
My Louisiana Equality and Equity Summit
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
October 18, 2019
ACEs: Adverse Childhood Experiences
Louisiana Child Wellbeing Summit
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
June 7, 2019
Fundraising Through Grants
Raise More Together Summit
Virtual
June 17, 2020
Organizational Development for Social Impact
International Social Impact Series
Virtual
June 25, 2021
Empowering Nonprofits: Strategies for Mission-Driven Success
Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership Summit
Virtual
October 16, 2021
Innovative Fundraising & Development Strategies
OneRouge
Virtual
August 9, 2024
Small Business Panel
Baton Rouge Metro Black Chamber
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
November 1, 2022
  • All (11)
  • Videos (5)
  • Photos (6)
Redefining Strategic Planning : A New Framework For Impact
Building Leadership: Tammy Dowley-Blackman Group Truss Institute feat Dr Sonia Daniels,
Episode 241: Embracing Change and Growth: Navigating Life's Seasons and Trusting the Journey
s6e4 Conscious Leadership with Dr. Sonia Daniels
YouTube
Panelist at Business Besties Brunch
Panelist at Business Besties Brunch
Nonprofit 101 at UCFM
Nonprofit 101 at UCFM
Forum 225 Guest Speaker
Forum 225 Guest Speaker
Lift Louisiana Strategic Plan Facilitator
Lift Louisiana Strategic Plan Facilitator
Operations Pathways Guest Speaker
Operations Pathways Guest Speaker
Line4Line Strategic Planning Facilitator
Line4Line Strategic Planning Facilitator
This speaker hasn't uploaded any slides yet.
This speaker hasn't uploaded any one sheet yet.
This speaker hasn't uploaded any press information yet.

Books & Articles (9)

Meeting overload is 'out of control.' The consequences are costly.
MissionBR
Hidden Gems: Meet Sonia Daniels
Unlocking Potential through Mentorship
Corporate America wasn’t cutting it for these women, so they rewrote the rules
Black-owned business receives grant
‘Lift as you rise’: Black women founders mentor the next wave of leaders
Driving Effective Board Member Engagement for Organizational Success and Sustainability
THE FORUM: Recognizing Our Community Members: A Q&A with Dr. Sonia Daniels

Expertise (13)

Business
Government
Leadership
Organizational culture Systems Thinking Strategy Execution Leadership Development organizational change Change Management Executive Leadership Human centered leadership Execution Future of work

Clients

Amazon
Women's Foundation of the South
Schott Foundation for Public Education
SCORE x US Small Business Administration
Open Health Care Clinic
Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition
DonorBox
100 Black Men
Black Tech Saturdays
City Year
Recommendations
Why choose me? 

Helping smart organizations get unstuck—by fixing systems, not blaming people.

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