Madi is from Minneapolis, MN, land of the Wapehkute Dakota, and sixth-generation descendent of farmers in the Midwest. She holds a B.A. in Literature from Yale-NUS College, is an alumna of The School for Ethics and Global Leadership and Qasid Arabic Institute, and former Fellow with Wellbeing and Equity in the World.

In 2012, Madi founded a social enterprise to support refugee youth and the experience has since inspired her to build a career intersecting private markets and public service. Her work advances equitable economies through purpose-driven business in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, earning recognition as the 'One to Watch' entrepreneur by Women Venture and 2019 Future Entrepreneur award by Hillhouse Capital.

As part of the Class of 2026 at the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Madi focuses on Global Politics and Security. She speaks Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, teaches creative nonfiction at the Loft Literary Center of Minneapolis and is an Ironman 70.3 triathlete.