Hanne (Busch) Dalmut
April 21, 2020
Hanne (Burch) Dalmut (2017)
Hanne Dalmut is the Director of Partnership Development, leveraging Concordia’s year-round programming, partnership-oriented research, and global network to develop cross-sector collaboration that combats global challenges and achieves positive social impact. Hanne leads the organizational identification of partnering opportunities based on programming and Concordia Community priorities, and serves to broker, advise, and construct new partnerships. Hanne joined Concordia in 2016 following experience with the U.S. Institute of Peace. Additional professional experience includes internships at the State Department, the European Parliament, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?
I graduated in 2008, majoring in Political Science and double minored in Communication and German.
What extra-/co-curricular activities did you do?
I was in Alpha Gamma Delta and volunteered with Missouri Dems. I also had a scholarship jobs (first with the football team, then the COMM Department), and various off-campus jobs.
Hanne (left) and a couple of her ΑΓΔ sisters in Washington, DC (2009).
Did you go to grad school? If so, where? Was it immediately after you left Truman or did you wait? Why?
Yes; I went to Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in 2011-12, and am currently pursuing a secondary masters in nonprofit management from the University of Pennsylvania (remote).
I was glad I waited between undergrad and grad school because the work experience gained provided a powerful backdrop to apply my graduate courses against. I also was able to steer my learnings in a much more concrete manner, and it really helped with course selection and framing of assignments. Overall, I think I got a lot more out of grad school because I was more informed with how my chosen industry operated, and I was also more mature and balanced in my personal life. Any continued education can be expensive so it’s important to really maximize the opportunity and only take advantage of it when you’re ready.
What was your first job after graduation?
I was hired to help manage a small DC-based non-profit that I had interned with the previous summer (via the Truman in Washington/ the Washington Center). It was not a perfect fit for a variety of reasons, but it gave a great opportunity to get myself into the DC policy and international affairs arena. It’s important to remember that your first job is not your last job, and that you should carefully evaluate each career opportunity and the professional skills that you’ll develop in the position towards what your ‘dream job’ requires, to determine if it’s worth the line on your resume.
What work do you do/What are you doing now?
Hanne claiming victory at the Concordia Europe Summit (2017).
I’m the Director of Partnership Development at Concordia, a NY-based non-profit dedicated to promoting and building public-private partnerships for positive social impact. Concordia hosts the largest global event in NYC during UN General Assembly week, as well as regional summits in Latin America, Europe, and Africa.
As a Director, I oversee a department dedicated to the direct fulfillment of the organization’s mission: building partnerships within our community. My day-to-day includes designing and implementing partnership frameworks, working with our Members and Sponsors on their impact/sustainability goals, engaging with U.S. and foreign governments on the 2030 Agenda, publicly representing the organization at speaking events/conferences/meetings, managing staff, and supporting organizational strategic thinking.
How has your Liberal Arts/COMM education helped you?
At the end of the day, thanks to the liberal arts, I’m a generalist through & through. I love spending one day thinking through the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Nigeria, the next day focusing on food security in Colombia, the next thinking about supply chain risk & labor rights in Thailand, and then rounding out the week with internal work to strengthen my department and support my team. My liberal arts education gives me a great platform to successfully work on so many different areas without losing sight of synergistic points and a bigger picture.
The partnership’s space requires me to understand drivers of different stakeholders in the public, private, and civil society sectors, and both liberal arts and COMM really support me here. Communication is essential to my job and I regularly apply the foundational training Truman provided, as I must effectively communicate with a range of different actors and in a variety of different formats. I’ve presented in small meetings to Presidents and Heads of State, Fortune 100 CEOs, and leaders of international organizations, and I’ve spoken on stage to 400+ persons. I also run small workshops and trainings, conduct 1:1 advisement sessions, author op-eds, and convey strategic ideas up & down my office’s hierarchy. Each require different communication styles and Truman was essential in understanding how to be effective.
Hanne (far right) and friends laughing with Vice President Joe Biden (2017).
Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you’re grateful you took it?
As a poli sci major, anything with Candy Young struck fear in my heart because she demanded you to think critically. There was no easy A.
For COMM, public speaking/debate was always (and remains) a fear of mine. However, these are skills you require in the ‘real world’ and I’m grateful for being pushed out of my comfort zone in an environment that valued constructive learning and growth.
Hanne at graduation (2008).
What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?
I graduated! I was always academically successful but faced some real mental health demons that put at risk a lot of what I’d built. College was personally the hardest time for me and I actually took a semester off sophomore year to regroup. I’m proud of myself for going back, and even prouder of myself now for being a vocal advocate on mental health de-stigmatization.
Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?
Truman can be a great place to try new things and grow in new ways. Undergrad is such an experimental time in your life, and the size of Truman and the support from the faculty can create a safety net as you become closer to the person you want to be. I was grateful for the rigor and caliber of the classes, and felt more than prepared to enter into a competitive career industry and one of the top graduate programs in the world. I was able to work and pay off loans quickly, which also helped me gain financial independence in a shorter time than some of my non-Truman peers.
What would you say a COMM student should absolutely do while at Truman?
Truman in Washington was life changing, I highly recommend for anyone interested in local/national politics or international affairs.
In general, get to know your professors. A direct relationship can be really valuable as you work through tough assignments, but is also great for job recommendations, graduate letters of recommendations, or mentorship.
This is probably assumed, but live off campus with your best friends because you will never forget those days.
I didn’t do study abroad because I didn’t think I ‘needed’ it (I’d traveled internationally before). I regret that. Take a semester and try something new because it’s rare to get that opportunity in life again, and it is very different than being a tourist.
What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?
Growing up in the Midwest doesn’t always offer a lot of opportunity to know what’s out there in terms of international affairs/politics. Take time to talk to people who know the landscape and can offer new ideas/perspectives on how to be successful in a place like DC or NYC.
Hanne volunteering on a “local” campaign (2020).
Internships are great steps to employment – be competitive and take them seriously. They can be highly informative about what the job actually entails, and offer great networking opportunities. Don’t be afraid to change direction after an internship – what you thought might be your perfect job may not actually be, and it’s so good that you found that out before investing more time and energy in that space.
If you want to work for the US government oversees, be aware of the early deadlines and security clearance requirements. Don’t let an amazing opportunity pass by just because you forgot to write down the application date! My favorite internship was at the Berlin Embassy and I never knew they also accepted undergrads – I’d have done more than one oversees tour if I’d known I’d qualified earlier.
If traveling is not in the cards for you, working on a local campaign is an amazing way to hone key skills.
What do you miss most about campus/Kirksville?
Knowing most of the people you pass on your way to class. ‘Club Pickler’ and how social the library was. Living in a house with my sorority sisters and always having a yard/porch/roof to hang out at when I needed a break. Living in a town with a Sonic.
What tag line would you create for the COMM department at Truman?
“Presenting your best self.”
If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?
Effectively Building Partnerships – The class is about the mechanics of building public private partnerships or engaging in cross sector collaboration for shared value and social impact, and the different ways of communicating with such varied stakeholders to be successful internally and externally.
Hanne (right) interviewing Per Heggnens (CEO, Ikea Foundation) and Diana Amini (Global Manager, H&M Foundation) for Facebook Live (2019).
If you would like to learn more of Hanne’s story, you can follow her on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.