Maddie FitzGerald serves as a Senior Research Analyst for McAllister & Quinn, where she supports research university clients across federal relations strategy, congressional appropriations, and research funding proposal development.
Maddie’s work centers on aligning institutional priorities and strengths with federal funding opportunities, translating agency programs, legislative developments, regulatory shifts, and appropriations cycles into clear, actionable guidance for university leaders and government relations teams. This includes monitoring and interpreting executive actions, litigation, and evolving policy developments that affect federal research funding and university operations and helping clients navigate and adapt their federal engagement strategies in response to a shifting political landscape. She has particular depth in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS/CPF) requests, supporting projects from eligibility assessment through the development of project descriptions, justifications, and advocacy materials, and coordinating submissions through congressional offices.
Maddie also leads efforts within the firm to integrate applied AI tools into policy research and analysis workflows, strengthening both the speed and rigor of how the team tracks federal priorities and supports client deliverables.
Before joining McAllister & Quinn, Maddie served as a Teach for America Corps Member in Nashville, Tennessee, where she taught elementary school for four years and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT). In her instructional and grade-level leadership roles, she developed a precise, audience aware approach to communicating complex information, a skill she continues to apply daily in translating federal policy and funding dynamics for research university clients and stakeholders.