Biography
Madalene is the President & CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) as well as the Founder and Principal of Arum Group, LLC. She brings more than 20 years of experience working in political campaigns and specializes in political/non-profit fundraising and political training. Ms. Mielke began her professional career working at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in the Training Division of the Political Department and later for the Clinton/Gore Coordinated ’96 campaign as a Regional Field Director in Pennsylvania.
After returning from the ’96 campaign, Ms. Mielke worked for the Co-Executive Director at the Presidential Inaugural Committee and later to Vice President Gore’s team. Ms. Mielke started fundraising while working at the New Democrat Network PAC and she returned to her roots as the Training Director for the Ron Brown-Paul Tully Institute (BTI), the training arm of the DNC. In 2002 Ms. Mielke started her political consulting firm, specializing in fundraising and political training. Madalene has collaborated with the NAACP National Voter Fund, John Kerry for President, Democratic National Committee Asian American Leadership Council, Mike Honda for Congress, Friends of Hillary, CHC BOLD PAC, Akaka for US Senate, Xavier Becerra for Congress, Mazie Hirono for Congress, Honda for Congress, America’s Opportunity Fund, Asian American Action (AAA) Fund and Young Democrats of America to raise millions of dollars to empower communities of color.
Throughout her career, Madalene has been a featured speaker or trainer at many conferences and trainings including the American Medical Association (AMA), the Center for Asian Pacific American Women, Virginia Leadership Institute, Netroots Nation, Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), and numerous other organizations and non-profits.
She has spent her entire professional political career working to bring diversity to the political process and nurturing candidates and staff as they move forward in bringing political change. The Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce awarded Ms. Mielke with its National Community Service award for her work in mentoring and promoting Vietnamese American civic participation.
Madalene is a proud graduate of Tulane University, Newcomb College. She serves as a mentor through a variety of collegiate mentoring programs including the Newcomb College Institute Women to Women Mentoring Program and Georgetown University’s Politics Mentorship Program.
Articles, Publications, and Appearances
Video Interviews
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Women: Advancing Leadership In Congress (Comcast Newsmakers, March 2, 2020)
Op-eds
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Harris’ multicultural story resonates with me, nomination gives Asian American women voice (USA Today, August 20, 2020)
In the News
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What It’s Like For Asian American Candidates During A Pandemic Marked By Racism (NPR, November 1, 2020)
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A mayor, a filmmaker, a Navajo Nation president: Our take on Leaders of Change (USA Today, September 3, 2020)
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ReflectUS Hires New CEO to Increase Women in Texas Politics (Philanthropy Women, March 11, 2020)
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How this group helps Asian Americans go from city council to Congress (NBC News, January 7, 2019)
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In Minnesota’s legislature, Hmong Americans find historic success (NBC News, January 2, 2019)
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The next Congress will be one of the most diverse ever. Now critics are demanding more diversity on staff (CNBC, December 7, 2018)
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How Being A Diplomatic Negotiator Helps This CEO Raise Millions (Forbes Magazine, May 31, 2018)