Her Story
About Hannah
Hannah Connelly is a Child Welfare Marketing Senior Associate with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, where she combines her background in child welfare, nonprofit work, and digital marketing to support programs and professionals across North America. In her current role, she serves as a strategic marketing partner for internal program teams, collaborating to develop resources, trainings, webinars, and supporting the execution of the Foundation’s largest annual learning conference for child welfare practitioners. With over six years of experience spanning nonprofit services, adoption support, and 5 years of marketing strategy, Hannah has built a career centered on connecting people with meaningful resources and solutions. Before accepting her current role at the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, she held leadership roles in digital marketing, including managing teams and developing strategies to help organizations improve their online presence. Her achievements include being recognized as a top strategist for client retention in 2023 and receiving runner-up recognition for Team Manager of the Year in 2024. Hannah holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Psychology from Bowling Green State University. She has served as a board member for Impact Now, a nonprofit organization, and continues to explore opportunities to contribute to adoption-focused leadership initiatives. Passionate about helping others, Hannah values trust, compassion, and accessibility, striving to be a reliable and supportive partner in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Hannah
01What do you attribute your success to?
Strong work ethic and strong desire to help those that can't help either themselves or just need a little extra push and just be of a support, just be an ear, be a voice
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Let go of what you can't control and do your best at what you can, how you choose to respond, do something that's more about your character and your professionalism than being able to have predicted the situation. I'm also just teaching me not to react but to thoughtfully take a step back, Take a breath and respond
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be confident in your voice. Be confident in what you've learned. and being open to those questions and truly considering them to see if, you know, the difference of perspective can provide a broader light or anything like that to a situation, is super important. taking care of yourself, too. Being sure you take care of yourself if you're gonna take care of others And youre important too. Dont sacrifice yourself in the name of helping others.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field are the constant changes and uncertainty within the nonprofit and adoption sectors. Adoption policies vary by state, and aligning everyone—from local leaders to government agencies—can be difficult. Funding changes also impact the support available to families, so we continue to find ways to help and advocate for those in need.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are being considerate and caring toward others, while building trust through genuine connections. I believe empathy, respect, and reliability are essential in both my personal life and my work.
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