Rachel Madden is the Undersecretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, located in the state house. Madden was a Ward Fellow in her junior year of Latin in 1988, when she worked for former lieutenant governor Evelyn Murphy. It was during this experience that she was first exposed to the Office of Administration and Finance, and she told herself, “I want to work in ANF one day”.

After graduating BLS in 1989, Rachel Madden went on to the University of Rochester. Madden’s first job after graduating Rochester in 1993 was as a senior analyst at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. After that, she became the project manager at Administration and Finance. Before moving up to Undersecretary of Administration and Finance, Madden hopped around to a few different agencies.

First, Rachel went back to the D.O.R., where she worked in Child Support, and then was asked by the governor to move to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. After a few years here, she met with the Secretary of Transportation at the MA Registry of Motor Vehicles to give advice on oversight and process improvement. By the end of the meeting, the secretary told Rachel, “What I need to do is hire you”. So, for one year, Rachel Madden was the Deputy Registrar at the MA Registry of Motor Vehicles, where she had a profound impact in cutting down bureaucratic waste. This unexpected job also had an impact on Rachel, because she met some of the most underserved yet hardest working people she has ever worked with. After working briefly at the MA Water Resources Authority, Rachel Madden was asked by Secretary Kristen Lepore to return to ANF as Undersecretary.

In her interview for the position, when asked why she wanted the job, Rachel responded, “ it has been my dream to work in ANF ever since I was seventeen years old.” For Rachel, the amazing part about working in ANF is that “no matter what happens in the government, it goes through ANF. You can touch and be a part of everything.” Rachel describes herself as a “true believer” in government. Whether she is working on the intricacies of the FY budget, representing the Commonwealth at various board meetings, or even pushing through legislation on an animal rights bill close to her heart, Rachel knows that she is making a difference.