Danielle Hillwig Doheny ’10

Danielle Hillwig Doheny ’10 was the featured speaker at the March 8 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar. Hillwig Doheny is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the International Myeloma Foundation in Washington, DC. She was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Thiel College Alumni Association at Homecoming 2025.

“Danielle Doheny is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the International Myeloma Foundation. She spends her time working with Congress on health care policies and figuring out how to apply complex laws to actual patient treatments.” Eunseo Lee ’26

“As the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the International Myeloma Foundation, she gets to work with patients and their families every day to make their lives better. I find her work especially meaningful as I am the daughter of a patient diagnosed with myeloma.” Kendall McLaughlin ’26

“Danielle graduated from Thiel College in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in history. During her time here, she was actively involved in campus life, participating in organizations such as the Thiel Choir, Chamber Singers, Sigma Kappa Sorority, and Phi Alpha Theta.” Dwayne Simkins ’27

“Danielle reflected on her time at Thiel College and how her involvement in student organizations, music groups, and academic activities helped her build leadership and communication skills. She encouraged students to take advantage of campus opportunities, stay open to different career paths, and pursue work that connects personal passion with meaningful impact.” Raegan Nelson ’26

“Danielle Doheny’s talk focused on how career paths can grow through experience, persistence, and taking opportunities. She shared how a semester in Washington, D.C. sparked her interest in policy and led to a paid internship and eventually a full-time job on Capitol Hill.” Lindsey Pearce ’27

“Her direction began to change when she participated in the Washington Semester program, an experience that sparked her interest in public policy. After graduating, Danielle returned to Washington, D.C. for a paid internship, which led to her first full-time role on Capitol Hill as a staff assistant. Through dedication and hard work, she advanced to legislative correspondence and eventually to legislative assistant.” Dwayne Simpkins ’27

“She explained that her early career on Capitol Hill as a Senior Legislative Assistant helped her build a strong foundation in healthcare policy, particularly in Medicare and federal healthcare systems. She emphasized that this experience prepared her to work directly in advocacy and policy development at the national level.” Raegan Nelson ’26

“Danielle went on to work with members of Congress on healthcare policy, helping to shape laws that directly impact how patients receive treatment. Her role involves advocating for patients and improving access to care, emphasizing that policy decisions have real consequences for real people. She has shared that some of the most emotional moments in her career come from hearing patients’ stories of inadequate or unfair treatment that have, at times, moved both her and her colleagues to tears.” Dwayne Simkins ’27

“Danielle’s story had an interesting twist that hasn’t been shared by many of our previous guests. That being her motivating factor for her current field of work. Her dad’s myeloma diagnosis is what turned her on to her current path. This is an interesting twist on the nonlinear career paths as a diagnosis like that is obviously not something you can plan for, but she rolled with the punches and has made the best of a bad situation.” Spencer Cleary ’27

“She also spoke about how her personal life influenced her career path, particularly her father’s diagnosis with multiple myeloma. This experience deeply shaped her understanding of the healthcare system and inspired her to transition into patient advocacy, where she now works to improve policies that support patients, caregivers, and the medical community affected by the disease.” Raegan Nelson ’26

“It has also been my contention for the longest time that lobbying is entirely unethical, so, to see a lobbyist who is clearly ethical and advocating for a good cause has left me with a more nuanced perspective.” Spencer Cleary ’27

“Beyond just the skills, her talk made me realize that I don't need to have every single step of my future perfectly mapped out right now. Seeing how she pivoted from the government sector to a non-profit foundation shows that being adaptable is more important than sticking to a rigid plan.” Eunseo Lee ’26

“Her main message was that success is not always a straight path, and it is important to speak up, build connections, and take advantage of opportunities.” Lindsey Pearce ’27

“I also appreciated her honest advice about grad school. It’s easy to feel like more degrees are always better, but she clarified that they should serve a clear purpose for one's specific goals. Her point about networking skills was another great takeaway. Learning how to effectively reach out to people in different fields seems like a skill that is just as important as technical knowledge.” Eunseo Lee ’26

“Ms. Doheny started her presentation by highlighting some of her friends, all from Thiel, and all that are in completely different career paths from her. Throughout her lecture she focused on the opportunities there are to learn, if you take them, and how important networking in different fields can be.” Kendall McLaughlin ’26

“One thing that I loved about Danielle’s presentation was how much she mentioned the friends that she made at Thiel. She made it a point to create a whole slide dedicated to them, along with telling us each of their respective career paths. Her diverse friend group is still extremely close and connected to this day. I think that is one of the most amazing things about Thiel. The friendships and bonds that are created during our four years here ultimately last a lifetime.” Makenna Oswalt ’26

“Everything she spoke about was incredibly informative and showed a different side of government and advocacy not always shown to the public. While she said she loves to learn about many different topics, it is clear she also loves to teach and drive change, too. Overall, I thought her message was perfect for a nice spring day following Easter: change is necessary, there are opportunities for growth everywhere; and follow your heart.” Kendall McLaughlin ’26

Lessons Learned

“Building strong relationships and networking matters.” Lindsey Pearce ’27
“Your career path doesn’t have to be a straight line.” Spencer Cleary ’27
“Advocacy work requires both passion and policy knowledge.” Raegan Nelson ’26
“Be passionate about everything that you do and have a voice.” Makenna Oswalt ’26
“Advocacy is important, especially in helping others access care.” Lindsey Pearce ’27
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined.” Dwayne Simpkins ’27
“If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re probably on the menu.” Makenna Oswalt ’26

Dinner “Dishing”

“Dinner was simple but really enjoyable. We had warm wedding soup to start, followed by manicotti and a fresh roll, which made for a comforting meal. Tiramisu for dessert was the perfect way to end the night and made everything feel complete.” Lindsey Pearce ’27
“Class on April 8 was an intimate evening with an enjoyable dinner full of great conversation and learning. Our meal was a homey Italian theme, thanks to Professor Witosky. At dinner we discussed again how delectable Marburger milk is, since Danielle was familiar with it growing up in Butler County. She told us about her daughter’s affinity for dairy too, and some lunchroom mischief. Luckily, we were all well behaved at dinner.” Kendall McLaughlin ’26
“While I unfortunately didn’t get to dine with our guest, I got to share a meal with David Hummel, who I completed an internship with last semester, which was a nice surprise. One of my favourite parts of this class is getting to spend quality time and deepen relationships with people who I may otherwise not be able to.” Spencer Cleary ’27