Salt Lake City, Utah – Announced today, Alliance for a Better Utah welcomes Madison Hayes as their new Content Manager. Hayes, a recent graduate of Vassar College, brings a wealth of volunteer and activism experience, including work with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance in Washington D.C., and the Rainforest Information Centre in Lismore, Australia.
“We’re excited to have Maddie join our growing staff,” stated Josh Kanter, Founder and President of the Alliance for a Better Utah. “Seeing college graduates not only want to move back to Utah, but move back to get involved in local policy and politics should give hope to all of us. We need young, strong leaders like Maddie who will help lead the discussions around the issues that matter to the generations of Utahns who will live with the decisions we make today.”
“I was attracted to ABU due to its commitment to building a progressive narrative in Utah, a perspective I feel often lacks but is nonetheless important for providing balance,” says Hayes. “Although I am particularly passionate about the environment, I am excited to broaden my scope of knowledge to include other important issues within Utah.”
Hayes received her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Vassar College. While at Vassar, she spent a semester abroad in Australia with a Sustainability and Environmental Action program. During this semester, she had her first experience interning for a nonprofit called the Rainforest Information Centre. During her senior year, Hayes volunteered for Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance’s “Wilderness Week” lobbying event in Washington, D.C. Following graduation, she interned in SUWA’s D.C. office providing legislative and grassroots organizing support, as well as handling logistics for a lobbying event surrounding Rep. Rob Bishop’s Public Lands Initiative.
Working for SUWA and reading works by Terry Tempest Williams inspired Hayes to return to Utah, her home state. Aside from having a deep appreciation for the landscape – the mountains to the north and the redrock to the south – she could not help but feel committed to the multitude of issues Utah faces.
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