Wendy Maldonado D'Amico is an independent consultant who provides marketing, communications, event planning and community building services to nonprofit organizations and the former Executive Director for Accelerate Yale. She previously worked on 50WomenAtYale150, which commemorated the dual milestones of coeducation at the university. After receiving her BA in English Literature from Yale, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize. She later completed a Master's in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and an MBA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She went on to work at Booz Allen Hamilton and SAP.

Maldonado D'Amico has served Yale continuously since graduation. In addition to many Yale Alumni volunteer roles, including a five-year term as Secretary of the Yale Class of 1993, followed by five years as a member of the YAA Board of Governors, she served as executive director of Accelerate Yale and Yale Angels.  

Tell us about your work and your recent role with Accelerate Yale.

I am the former Executive Director of Accelerate Yale and Yale Angels. Accelerate Yale is a Yale alumni Shared Interest Group (SIG) focused on innovation, tech, and entrepreneurship. Our mission is to cultivate an active, inclusive ecosystem that thoughtfully promotes meaningful connections and collaborations, while also serving as a bridge between alumni and current Yale students. Since our founding about six years ago, we have reached over 6,000 people worldwide with our programming, which has included 40+ events and 4 pitch competitions.

I read that you were a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize. Could you touch on what motivated you to join and your experience in the country?

As a Yale senior, I had no idea what my next steps would be after graduation. I had no desire to apply to law school or med school or continue on to academia. Since I did not come from a white-collar family, I didn't even know where to begin with finding an entry-level job. The Peace Corps sounded cool and I wanted to go overseas anyway. Once I was accepted, I was assigned to Belize. For two years, I served as a Rural Community Development Officer in a remote village with no electricity and potable water from a single pipe in my front yard. I taught English as a Second Language, worked with the Village Council to come up with ways to attract ecotourism, and also worked with local women on income generation projects. Ever since then, economic development has been an enduring interest of mine and it carries through to my work in entrepreneurship today.

What brought you to Yale?

I came from a small working-class town northeast of Philadelphia. As a high school senior, I applied to 12 colleges—all vastly different—on an electric typewriter, just going by the glossy catalogs that arrived in the mail. I appreciated the other schools I visited, but when I visited Yale, I fell in love with it instantly. The student body was so eclectic and intellectual and fun. I felt at home in a way I did not feel in my hometown. I arrived at Yale as a first-year in 1989. Incredibly, I love it even more now, 30+ years later, than I did then!

How does your work intersect with Connecticut's innovation ecosystem? What partners do you work with?

Most of my work with Accelerate Yale intersects with Yale entities such as Yale Ventures and Tsai CITY, but I also make it a point to know and connect with other leaders in the Connecticut innovation ecosystem such as Ony Obiocha of CTNext. I'm always on the lookout for like-minded people, especially people who support economic development and women and underrepresented founders. If you are in Connecticut and you'd like to connect with me, please reach out!

Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs or those who are curious about entrepreneurship?

Don't be afraid to experiment and fail so that you can learn. Yalies tend to be over-achievers who are used to chasing perfection, top grades, and prestige, but entrepreneurship is about failure, iteration, and continuous learning. You have to be willing to get your hands dirty and do what it takes to get the job done. If you are a current Yale student, plug into Tsai CITY. If you are out in the world, look for opportunities to connect with Accelerate Yale or local accelerators and incubators.

Do you have a favorite book or resource that has inspired you in your work?

Finding financing is a major hurdle for founders, and finding angels is trickier still. I recently stumbled on the ACA - the Angel Capital Association - which is a resource to find angel networks and accredited investors. You can find the ACA here: https://www.angelcapitalassociation.org/directory/

Favorite hobbies?

I am an amateur abstract painter and I also run a children's picture book critique group out of Providence, RI. I cycle or walk every day along the ocean. I also run Yale alumni Facebook groups on food and art, which are my favorite topics of mine. There aren't enough hours in a day!

This interview was written and compiled by Asher Barondes YC ’26, a Yale Ventures summer associate.