MONROE - Richard Daniels has spent a lot of time over the years fighting for things.
He doesn't really see it like that; instead, he has always enjoyed facing challenges. And despite the often uphill climb to reach those quests, he gets great satisfaction, a sense of mission and a feeling of accomplishment as he helps the nonprofit world dream big.
"I've just never been happy with the status quo," he said.
Daniels was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, but by the time he turned 4, the family had moved to Rochester, Indiana. By the end of elementary school, Daniels had moved again; this time to Marshall, Michigan, through high school.
Despite moving at an early age, Daniels has vivid memories of Iron Mountain and recalls neighbors, some events and the home clearly. His father, a traveling salesman, would move jobs and often enjoyed his summers off.
He grew up with two sisters and a brother. The family was spaced out enough that it felt at times like two families. In the summertime, they would vacation together and camp together with his extended family in the Upper Peninsula. He has memories of being outside a lot, playing sports often in an open lot near their home.
Daniels says his older brother was a big athlete and a great football star, and he often lived in the shadows of that. He also enjoyed sports and played football, basketball and golf and ran track through high school, although he says he wasn't the star his brother was.
The active student spent a lot of time in high school hanging around teachers and talking with them. He and two other students were referred to as "The Three Wise Men" in the yearbook - and it was a fitting name for Daniels, who had always felt that.
"We were looking for intellectual challenges," Daniels said. "I have always felt old for my years."
Part of that was likely who was around him. Daniels often found himself surrounded by older siblings, and his parents' friends on weekends when their home often turned into a social beehive. His parents liked to entertain, and Daniels enjoyed the socialization, saying most of his greatest memories are of fascinating conversations with people.
After his graduation from Marshall High School, he says he always planned to go to college. He started out majoring in business, following his father's lead. Soon, he changed his major to economics and eventually to philosophy.
Before going into his junior year, Daniels was drafted by the Army and went to Vietnam. His lottery number was a good one, he said, and after basic training he was stationed in Quang Tri. The day he landed in the terminal, which was a hut, he came under fire. His introduction to Vietnam left him on the ground, shaking with bombs blasting.
He was eventually stationed at a base camp in the demilitarized zone as a company clerk. He did the morning report, where the Army keeps track of personnel. He worked on a typewriter and corrected 423 errors and was only allowed three typos. It was a tough job, and the reports went from a dozen pages to around 20 pages when Daniels got through them.
"I took it upon myself to make corrections," he said. "I gained quite a reputation and made people at headquarters look good again. I was asked if I wanted to be recommended for the Silver Star - but I didn't think my work deserved that."
After nine months, Daniels took an early out to go back to school.
"My life is really one of going to school," he smiled. "I think I realized I love learning and the best way to learn is to teach."
He earned his undergraduate degree in speech communication and philosophy at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. With a goal to teach at the college level, he went on to earn a master's degree from Western in speech communication with a minor in logic.
From there, he went to the University of Kentucky where he taught while he continued school. After two years, he decided to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was studying rhetoric, a fusion of philosophy and speech, for seven years, teaching at several colleges during that time.
After teaching for years, he looked around for some experience during the summer months. Through another lead, he was hired for the summer at American Players Theatre, a job he was recommended for. It was a time when the theater was about to go under, but an interested group was trying to save it. He was hired initially to write grants, but stayed four years, becoming the development director. They were $1 million in debt at the time.
"I took the job thinking I needed some practical experience," Daniels said.
With help from a new managing director, the theater was back on its feet again. Daniels says he enjoyed being a part of that and spent a lot of his job doing public relations and mending broken fences. He helped start a capital campaign to raise $3 million and knew he would move on when they got half way.
"The job was exhausting," he said. "I was frazzled to say the least."
He went on to take a job helping to start up the Wisconsin Academy Foundation. He expanded and updated programming, trying to help build the program for seven years.
He then worked for Madison Country Day School, a new endeavor at the time with international curriculum. He was their first development director and was part of adding grades to the school each year. He also started a major campaign there, making it possible to update the facility and pay off the mortgage. He left as they were making plans to add a high school.
He says he was looking to move when a friend of his saw the job in Monroe and suggested he apply. When he started 12 years ago, he had been to the Monroe Arts Center just once before.
"Monroe reminded me a lot of Marshall," Daniels said of the town he considers home.
During his tenure, Daniels has been a part of huge changes for MAC and takes great pride in all that the center and the city have accomplished together. While there has been a recession during his tenure here, he says it's amazing what Monroe has been able to do for its arts.
"I'm proud of the preparation we went through to put us in a position to do a major capital campaign," he said. "I think we did it all right."
He says not only did they work on the campaign, they also worked to expand programming. He says they worked to offer more than just performances and really wanted to meet the needs of the community. Soon, the exhibition season was extended, summer performances were added and various children's services were increased.
Daniels also takes great pride in the MAC Board of Directors. He says big campaigns never go without facing some struggles and, in this case, they were big. Most boards, he says, might have walked away, but not this one.
"If not for the intelligent, good-hearted and devoted MAC staff, my tenure here could have been shorter," he said.
They moved into the building last May, and Daniels says it's proving to be everything they hoped for. This season shows have sold out three times, something unheard of before, and it's likely because of the new facility - and the elevator.
He says the board is a big reason he's stayed so long, and worked hard to achieve big dreams in art for such a small town.
"I attribute it to the generosity of the board and the people," he said. "Wisconsin, through the recession, saw several nonprofit arts go under. It's a testament to this community and this board that we flourished."
Daniels says he's still hanging around because he feels there's still some work to do. He would like to see some rehab for the lower level and some raised parking for some additional handicap spaces.
Years ago, Daniels served on the board for Opera for the Young and served as president for a time. He and his wife, Christine, spent a lot of time on advisory boards and were heavily involved while their daughters were in school.
Working in the nonprofit world hasn't been without its version of stressors, Daniels said. But in his free time, he still loves to learn - only now, he does it through books and travel instead of school. He and Christine live in Madison and enjoy traveling to Italy and France, among other places. Daniels also enjoys gardening throughout the spring, summer and fall.
They have two daughters and sons-in-law and two grandsons they enjoy spending time with whenever they can. They also enjoy theater, both local and not, and still attend shows at the APT. Daniels also enjoys spending time with people to relax and still has a strong appreciation for a great conversation.
He doesn't really see it like that; instead, he has always enjoyed facing challenges. And despite the often uphill climb to reach those quests, he gets great satisfaction, a sense of mission and a feeling of accomplishment as he helps the nonprofit world dream big.
"I've just never been happy with the status quo," he said.
Daniels was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, but by the time he turned 4, the family had moved to Rochester, Indiana. By the end of elementary school, Daniels had moved again; this time to Marshall, Michigan, through high school.
Despite moving at an early age, Daniels has vivid memories of Iron Mountain and recalls neighbors, some events and the home clearly. His father, a traveling salesman, would move jobs and often enjoyed his summers off.
He grew up with two sisters and a brother. The family was spaced out enough that it felt at times like two families. In the summertime, they would vacation together and camp together with his extended family in the Upper Peninsula. He has memories of being outside a lot, playing sports often in an open lot near their home.
Daniels says his older brother was a big athlete and a great football star, and he often lived in the shadows of that. He also enjoyed sports and played football, basketball and golf and ran track through high school, although he says he wasn't the star his brother was.
The active student spent a lot of time in high school hanging around teachers and talking with them. He and two other students were referred to as "The Three Wise Men" in the yearbook - and it was a fitting name for Daniels, who had always felt that.
"We were looking for intellectual challenges," Daniels said. "I have always felt old for my years."
Part of that was likely who was around him. Daniels often found himself surrounded by older siblings, and his parents' friends on weekends when their home often turned into a social beehive. His parents liked to entertain, and Daniels enjoyed the socialization, saying most of his greatest memories are of fascinating conversations with people.
After his graduation from Marshall High School, he says he always planned to go to college. He started out majoring in business, following his father's lead. Soon, he changed his major to economics and eventually to philosophy.
Before going into his junior year, Daniels was drafted by the Army and went to Vietnam. His lottery number was a good one, he said, and after basic training he was stationed in Quang Tri. The day he landed in the terminal, which was a hut, he came under fire. His introduction to Vietnam left him on the ground, shaking with bombs blasting.
He was eventually stationed at a base camp in the demilitarized zone as a company clerk. He did the morning report, where the Army keeps track of personnel. He worked on a typewriter and corrected 423 errors and was only allowed three typos. It was a tough job, and the reports went from a dozen pages to around 20 pages when Daniels got through them.
"I took it upon myself to make corrections," he said. "I gained quite a reputation and made people at headquarters look good again. I was asked if I wanted to be recommended for the Silver Star - but I didn't think my work deserved that."
After nine months, Daniels took an early out to go back to school.
"My life is really one of going to school," he smiled. "I think I realized I love learning and the best way to learn is to teach."
He earned his undergraduate degree in speech communication and philosophy at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. With a goal to teach at the college level, he went on to earn a master's degree from Western in speech communication with a minor in logic.
From there, he went to the University of Kentucky where he taught while he continued school. After two years, he decided to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was studying rhetoric, a fusion of philosophy and speech, for seven years, teaching at several colleges during that time.
After teaching for years, he looked around for some experience during the summer months. Through another lead, he was hired for the summer at American Players Theatre, a job he was recommended for. It was a time when the theater was about to go under, but an interested group was trying to save it. He was hired initially to write grants, but stayed four years, becoming the development director. They were $1 million in debt at the time.
"I took the job thinking I needed some practical experience," Daniels said.
With help from a new managing director, the theater was back on its feet again. Daniels says he enjoyed being a part of that and spent a lot of his job doing public relations and mending broken fences. He helped start a capital campaign to raise $3 million and knew he would move on when they got half way.
"The job was exhausting," he said. "I was frazzled to say the least."
He went on to take a job helping to start up the Wisconsin Academy Foundation. He expanded and updated programming, trying to help build the program for seven years.
He then worked for Madison Country Day School, a new endeavor at the time with international curriculum. He was their first development director and was part of adding grades to the school each year. He also started a major campaign there, making it possible to update the facility and pay off the mortgage. He left as they were making plans to add a high school.
He says he was looking to move when a friend of his saw the job in Monroe and suggested he apply. When he started 12 years ago, he had been to the Monroe Arts Center just once before.
"Monroe reminded me a lot of Marshall," Daniels said of the town he considers home.
During his tenure, Daniels has been a part of huge changes for MAC and takes great pride in all that the center and the city have accomplished together. While there has been a recession during his tenure here, he says it's amazing what Monroe has been able to do for its arts.
"I'm proud of the preparation we went through to put us in a position to do a major capital campaign," he said. "I think we did it all right."
He says not only did they work on the campaign, they also worked to expand programming. He says they worked to offer more than just performances and really wanted to meet the needs of the community. Soon, the exhibition season was extended, summer performances were added and various children's services were increased.
Daniels also takes great pride in the MAC Board of Directors. He says big campaigns never go without facing some struggles and, in this case, they were big. Most boards, he says, might have walked away, but not this one.
"If not for the intelligent, good-hearted and devoted MAC staff, my tenure here could have been shorter," he said.
They moved into the building last May, and Daniels says it's proving to be everything they hoped for. This season shows have sold out three times, something unheard of before, and it's likely because of the new facility - and the elevator.
He says the board is a big reason he's stayed so long, and worked hard to achieve big dreams in art for such a small town.
"I attribute it to the generosity of the board and the people," he said. "Wisconsin, through the recession, saw several nonprofit arts go under. It's a testament to this community and this board that we flourished."
Daniels says he's still hanging around because he feels there's still some work to do. He would like to see some rehab for the lower level and some raised parking for some additional handicap spaces.
Years ago, Daniels served on the board for Opera for the Young and served as president for a time. He and his wife, Christine, spent a lot of time on advisory boards and were heavily involved while their daughters were in school.
Working in the nonprofit world hasn't been without its version of stressors, Daniels said. But in his free time, he still loves to learn - only now, he does it through books and travel instead of school. He and Christine live in Madison and enjoy traveling to Italy and France, among other places. Daniels also enjoys gardening throughout the spring, summer and fall.
They have two daughters and sons-in-law and two grandsons they enjoy spending time with whenever they can. They also enjoy theater, both local and not, and still attend shows at the APT. Daniels also enjoys spending time with people to relax and still has a strong appreciation for a great conversation.