From lifelong immigrant to education equity leader, Daniel Velasco shares how identity, resilience, and compassion shaped his journey to becoming President and CEO of Ensemble Learning and a national voice for multilingual learners.
Born in Lima, Peru and raised across Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru before settling in the United States, Daniel learned early how to adapt in order to belong. As a child, he unconsciously mirrored accents and behaviors to fit into each new environment, a survival skill that later informed his understanding of identity, privilege, and belonging. His education spanned elite international schools, under-resourced public schools, and eventually institutions like Harvard and Johns Hopkins, each revealing how opportunity is unevenly distributed. These experiences shaped both his worldview and his commitment to educational equity.
Daniel’s path was anything but linear. He navigated family financial collapse during the dot-com bust while attending Harvard, took on full-time work throughout his graduate studies, and delayed personal milestones to help rebuild his family’s stability. Along the way, he taught through Teach for America, studied international development, and immersed himself in education policy and change management. He describes this “scenic route” as difficult but formative, revealing how social capital and institutional credibility influence whose voices are heard.
Now leading Ensemble Learning, Daniel supports schools across the country in serving multilingual and dually identified learners through data, professional development, and coaching. He is working to address teacher attrition by partnering with the National Center for Teacher Residencies to build bilingual pathways into the profession. At the heart of his work is a belief that many educators leave not from lack of care, but from lack of preparation to serve the students in front of them.
Throughout the conversation, Daniel reflects on compassionate leadership, the energy cost of trying to fix everything for everyone, and the importance of building organizational cultures rooted in trust and humanity. He reminds listeners that leadership is not about perfection, but about being a decent human at the right time and creating environments where people feel seen, supported, and capable. Tune in to hear how Daniel’s story reframes what it means to lead with purpose, resilience, and heart.
Chapters:
00:44 🌍 Meet Daniel Velasco and His Journey from Peru to the United States
02:03 🎓 Growing Up and Navigating School Across Countries
09:43 📚 Higher Education Choices and Career Pathways
21:32 🏫 Leading Ensemble Learning and Expanding Its Impact
25:43 💼 Navigating the Realities of Nonprofit Leadership
27:37 🚀 The Unexpected Path to Becoming CEO
33:48 🧠 Rebuilding Confidence and Redefining Leadership
41:02 🤝 Compassionate Leadership and Building Strong Teams
47:03 💬 Final Reflections on Leadership and Purpose
Links
Stay strong.
Episode 15