On November 3, 2026, USA Today published a profile of our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Harmony Vallejo, under the headline "Harmony Vallejo: Empowering Leaders to Create Community Impact." The piece appears in the Contributor Content section of USA Today and looks back on more than 25 years of her professional experience, and forward to what she is building next. Read the full profile on USA Today.
We are proud of it, and not only because it is about the person who founded Universal. It also describes, in someone else's words, the work our team does every day.
Where her leadership started
The profile's first section is about mentorship. Harmony's grandmother stepped in as "a guiding force during her youth," and the stability and mentorship she gave would later shape Harmony's leadership philosophy. Harmony went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in communications from Youngstown State University in 1999, then moved through marketing and sales roles where she built experience in business operations, public speaking, organizational communications and leadership development.
The mission behind Universal
Harmony founded the company in 2014. USA Today sums up her mission in one line: "to create pathways for others to rise into leadership with confidence and clarity." The profile describes Universal as a national platform for leadership development and community engagement, one that supports nonprofit outreach initiatives while cultivating leaders across multiple markets.
That balance is deliberate. Nonprofits are built to run programs, not fundraising campaigns. Universal provides the strategy, infrastructure, and community outreach support that allows nonprofit organizations to stay focused on changing lives.
What it says about leadership at Universal
According to the profile, Harmony has helped create hundreds of jobs and guided countless young adults into leadership roles. The article credits a culture "rooted in empowerment, ownership and accountability," and it names the part of the work she finds most rewarding: watching people move from uncertainty to confidence.
Anyone who has spent a day with our team will recognize that. If you want a closer look, read what it is really like to work at Universal or visit our careers page.
Giving back beyond the company
The profile also covers Harmony's work outside Universal. She volunteers with Sister's Circle and Vision Keepers, and she serves as fundraising counsel for nonprofit initiatives focused on suicide prevention, antibullying awareness and youth advocacy. She is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Professional Face to Face Fundraising Association, memberships the article ties to "ethical fundraising practices and sustainable community impact."
Why we are sharing it
Recognition from outside our own walls matters to the people who rely on us. Nonprofit partners, candidates and community members often want to know who leads an organization before they work with it. A profile like this one gives them a clear, public picture of that leader, and it sits alongside the rest of the coverage collected on our press page.
Looking ahead
The profile closes on her plans for the years ahead: elevating nonprofits and entrepreneurs alike, developing the next generation of leaders, and creating 1,000 jobs nationwide. We are glad to be building that with her.
Meet our founder to read her full story, or visit Harmony's own site for her keynote speaking and The Alignment Code. To talk with our team, reach us at Corporate@theuniversalteam.com.
Universal
Nonprofit consulting, fundraising counsel, and outreach.
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