Maggie Powers joined the Mayors Migration Council (MMC) in February 2020. In her capacity as the Director of Policy and Advocacy, she develops strategies to formalize cities’ access and influence in migration governance, identifies opportunities to unlock resources for cities, and contributes to the strategic development of the MMC.

Maggie previously served as a consulting advisor to the Open Society Foundations, where she supported the incubation phase of the MMC and advised on city diplomacy related to refugee protection. She also served as an advisor to Columbia University’s International Mobility Group and the Associate Director of Columbia University’s Global Policy Initiative (CGPI), where she oversaw the International Migration Project. At CGPI she supported the mandate of the former Special Representative of the Secretary General for International Migration, Mr. Peter Sutherland, from 2014 to 2017 and she led efforts to raise mayors’ and city authorities’ voices on migration at the United Nations. While at CGPI, she also established a commission of academics to develop a Model International Mobility Convention, a long-term advocacy tool to promote a holistic, rights-respecting legal regime for all those who cross borders. Maggie holds a master’s degree in human rights from Columbia University where she focused on atrocity prevention and humanitarian protection. She is based in New York.