Patrick Madden Joins United Nations Association of the USA as Executive Director

The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA), a program of the United Nations Foundation, today announced that Patrick Madden will join the organization as Executive Director. In this role, he will lead UNA-USA’s nationwide membership, educational, and human rights programs and the growing movement of Americans who support the important work of the UN.

“Patrick joins us during an exciting time of growth and change for UNA-USA. He brings with him a successful track record of building a membership organization focused on international partnerships that will help lead and grow UNA-USA,” said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the UN Foundation. “Patrick’s commitment to continuing a strong and independent advocacy voice is the key to maintaining UNA-USA as the premier grassroots organization focused on strengthening the U.S.-UN relationship.”

As the Executive Director of the UNA-USA, Madden is responsible for UNA-USA’s management and development, membership, Council of Organizations, and Global Classrooms program. He will also be responsible for the close coordination of UNA-USA with other programs, initiatives and activities of the United Nations Foundation and its sister organization, the Better World Campaign.

“It is an honor to take the helm of this distinguished organization at such an important time in global dialogue,” said Patrick Madden. “The UNA-USA represents a vibrant network advocating on behalf of the UN throughout the country. I hope to expand the voice and impact of its work.”

Before joining UNA-USA, Madden served as the president and CEO of Sister Cities International, a global citizen diplomacy network committed to bridging cultural misunderstanding through people to people exchanges and programs. In this role, he led citizen and municipal engagement in areas such as sustainable and economic development, international development, youth and education, and arts and culture. Madden is also an adjunct professor at George Mason University where he teaches a graduate seminar on fundraising. Madden holds a B.M. in Music History and an M.A. in Telecommunications, Business and Music from Ohio University.

In November 2011, the United Nations Foundation and the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) announced they would join forces to build a broader base of citizen support for U.S. engagement and the work of the UN. Today, the UN Foundation and UNA-USA represent the single largest network of American supporters for the UN.

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About the United Nations Association of the USA

The mission of UNA-USA is to inform, inspire and mobilize Americans to support the principles and vital work of the United Nations and to strengthen the United Nations system; to encourage U.S. leadership to work constructively through the United Nations and encourage everyone to achieve the goals of the United Nations Charter; and through its Programs and more than 100 chapters, to educate the American public about the invaluable work of the United Nations, raise funds and carry out local activities related to the United Nations. For more information, visit: www.unausa.org.

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. We build and implement public/private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and work to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. Through our campaigns and partnerships, we connect people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. These campaigns focus on reducing child mortality, empowering women and girls, creating a new energy future, securing peace and human rights, and promoting technology innovation to improve health outcomes. These solutions are helping the UN advance the eight global targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.