Young Alumna Spotlight-Madeline Hanson (SAA ’15)

St. Agnes Academy is always proud when we see one of our young alums using her talents to make the world a better place! One of these young alums is Madeline Hanson, valedictorian of the Class of 2015. After graduating from SAA, Madeline attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She graduated with Highest Honors, with a double major in Public Policy and Political Science and a minor in Hispanic Studies.

Madeline moved to Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2019. She shared, “I've lived in DC working in the international affairs space since graduating college, though my work has taken a number of different forms. My most recent roles were at two embassies based in DC – the European Union Delegation and the British Embassy – where I gained experience coordinating foreign and trade policy priorities between the U.S. and two of its major allies.”

Madeline decided to make a shift into the nonprofit world in the summer of 2023, taking on the role of Development Policy Advisor at Mercy Corps, an international non-governmental organization (INGO) founded in 1979. Mercy Corps implements humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding programming in over 50 countries worldwide, working in some of the most difficult and crisis-affected areas in the world.

“I decided to join Mercy Corps because I was interested in deploying my policy and government experience to support an organization that works to address immediate humanitarian needs and to advance long-term development solutions to problems facing communities globally. Mercy Corps works with public and private sector donors to carry out this work, with the U.S. Government (USAID, State Department, and Congress in particular) being a critical partner.

She added, “I work with the U.S. Government to shape policies that impact humanitarian and development work and to offer insights and perspectives based on Mercy Corps experiences in the field. Some of the specific focus areas I work on include food security; gender, equality, and social inclusion (GESI); migration; localization; and U.S. funding.”

Madeline’s geographic focus is on the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya) and she serves as a co-chair for the Horn of Africa Working Group at InterAction – a U.S.-based alliance of INGOs and partners that work together to advance priorities across the sector. In September she had the opportunity to attend a 3-day learning event, “Sustainable Pathways to Food Security and Economic Growth” in Kampala, Uganda. The sessions reflected on a decade of programming in the Karamoja region, and the steps needed to invoke lasting change in the area.

“In the coming months, I'm hoping to travel to Mercy Corps' offices in Nairobi, Kenya to meet with our regional and country teams there, and to participate in field visits to see some of our largest U.S.-funded programming firsthand. Long-term, I want to further advance my understanding of development policy & continue serving as an advocate in DC for those unable to advocate for themselves.”

As a Dominican community, our vision is that our graduates will leave our campus with a sense of social & ecological responsibility, and the leadership skills to live out the Pillar of Service in their lives. We are proud to see Madeline sharing her talents at an organization with such a positive global impact.