From 1931 to 1947, she served as the President of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
[7][8] In 1916 she married Dr. Murray Snell Danforth, an orthopedic surgeon, together they had three children.
[9] In 1931, Danforth was elected as the 8th President of Rhode Island School of Design, succeeding her aunt, Eliza G. Radeke.
[8] During her tenure the campus enlarged which included the addition of the Metcalf Building on College Street (1936), the Auditorium (1941), and the Metcalf Refectory, and the Waterman Street dormitories (1959).
[12] Danforth was elected to the Rhode Island Women's Heritage Hall of Fame in 1998.