Danny Girton Jr.

Danny Girton, Jr. is the inaugural Assistant Dean of Development and Alumni Relations for the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology at the University of Texas at Dallas. In this capacity, he leads external engagement strategies that support career readiness outcomes through experiential learning opportunities in humanities, arts, and emerging technology. To connect these focus areas, Danny advances interdisciplinary initiatives by cultivating partnerships with donors, alumni, cultural organizations, and industry leaders.

Most recently, Danny was a philanthropy leader of the UT Dallas Center for BrainHealth. Alongside the Center's Executive Director of Philanthropy, he helped develop and oversee the department’s annual and multi-year strategies for achieving key goals in support of the establishment's priority initiatives.

To that role, he brought experience managing the International Philanthropy and Principal Giving program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In that position, he cultivated relationships with renowned physician-scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering as well as MSK's friends and supporters overseas in pursuit of the Center's life-saving mission.

Previously, he advised economic developers, governments, as well as small and medium-size (SME) enterprises on market entry and growth strategy as a trade and investment consultant. His largest initiative was an integrated sales and marketing campaign for Japan in preparation for the Olympics in Tokyo.

His earlier experiences include facilitating transatlantic business partnerships at the British American Chamber of Commerce in New York and adjudicating record attempts for Guinness World Records around the globe.

Part of Danny's professional path includes a deep commitment to veterans' causes. In 2017, he founded FitnessVroom, a social impact project to help veterans transition to civilian life through health and wellness opportunities, including exercise and self-care "pop-up" experiences led by world class athlete veterans, like George E. Hood: a multiple world record holder, former U.S. Marine Corps Officer, and retired DEA agent. A portion of FitnessVroom proceeds were donated to veterans charities, including the YMCA "Urban Warriors" program.

In 2021, Danny relaunched FitnessVroom as Freedom & Victory, a patriotic apparel venture that gives a percentage of each garment sale to veterans philanthropic endeavors. To date, Freedom & Victory has contributed to humanitarian efforts for the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, STEAM education and community workouts to support veterans' mental health, and was appointed to the Advisory Board of a USMC Memorial Foundation.

Danny earned a double major in Communications and English from Boston College as a Thea Bowman AHANA scholar, completed post-graduate coursework in International Business and Entrepreneurship, has a Master's in Integrated Marketing Communications, as well as a Connected Leadership certification from Yale University.

He and his family reside in Texas.