Maureen Shiel
Dual-degree student,
Master of Jurisprudence-Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies
Maureen Shiel hopes to take her passion for human rights work and how that intersects with philanthropy into the next stage of her career. She is the first student to enter the M.J.-M.A. joint-degree program. When she elected to pursue the joint degree, she was a student in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy graduate certificate program.
Shiel is no stranger to philanthropic work. She previously served in development at Indianapolis Contemporary, formerly known as the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art. Shiel also is an artist, a painter who works with acrylics. Her art is contemporary, and she likes to represent natural elements in her work, like water and nature. Her background in yoga also sometimes manifests itself in her art through abstract symbols that reflect the principles of yogic tradition or philosophy.
Shiel completed her undergraduate studies at Purdue University, where she majored in hospitality and tourism management. She worked at a tourism nonprofit entity after graduation, then left that post when her children were young. Back in the workforce at Indianapolis Contemporary, her interest in philanthropy was piqued.
"I've discovered a passion for human rights work," Shiel said. She hopes to work in an area where basic human needs for things like healthcare, housing, and sanitation overlap with work in philanthropy.
