Madison Mastrangelo ’15

Consultant at Bain & Company
2025 Recipient of the Young Alumna Award

Education: Duke University (BA), Public Policy and Global Health

What I’m Doing Now: I’m a consultant at Bain, where I help create business strategies for companies across industries. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, from marketing and customer experience strategies to my current performance improvement work. For my most recent project, I’m partnering with an advanced manufacturing company to streamline its operations. It’s very technical and totally different from my initial work at Bain, which focused on our internal business strategy. I’ve been diving deep into manufacturing data, traveling to different sites across the country, and learning a lot about an industry that’s new to me. I love the in-person workshops, seeing what solutions resonate with our clients, and being able to collaborate. It’s really energizing!
 
How KPS Influenced Me: Kent Place taught me how to push myself outside my comfort zone. My involvement in the Bioethics Project during my sophomore year was a cornerstone of that lesson. I felt intimidated when I first started my research project, but I found my voice and confidence. I became comfortable framing difficult questions, problem-solving, and thinking through tough questions when there’s no right answer, all of which I bring to my current work. I credit the experience with giving me the courage to seek out a new position at Bain. I sensed I was becoming too comfortable in my role and knew I needed to move to something new in order to grow.

Thanks to close relationships with my teachers, Kent Place also taught me how to ask good questions. When I got to college, I wasn’t afraid to go to professors’ office hours. At work, I can rely on my teammates and my managers for support. During challenging moments, I know I don’t have to figure things out all by myself. 

Proudest Accomplishment: A few years ago, Emily Tevebaugh ’15 and I created a Kent Place young alumnae group, bringing together Kent Place women in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. We meet three or four times a year for fun events, including an annual Friendsgiving. I lead a similar group for Duke women in the D.C. area and organize a series of Neighborhood Conversations to enable alumnae to get to know each other in an informal setting. I’m proud of having fostered these different communities, which have become a great source of friendship and support. Kent Place and Duke were pivotal experiences in my life and have shaped me so much. I love that, years later, I still have a home base at these schools.

Advice for My KPS Sisters: Find and build your community of people and lean on them for support. Throughout my career, I’ve chosen different paths and projects not only for the experience but also for the people, knowing who will help me to grow and learn the most. So much of your trajectory is about the people who are willing to invest in you and coach you.

I’d also say that you shouldn’t be scared to try something new. Sometimes we want everything to be perfect and planned out but often you just have to explore and see what sticks. I wouldn’t have guessed that I would go into consulting, and I couldn’t have planned out my exact career path. It helps to be flexible and easy on yourself as you figure things out, little by little. 

Profile 10/2025.