Young Alumna of the Year Award

Caitlin Andrews Sickles, Comm ’09
Washington D.C.

Caitlin Sickles credits her time at Marquette with teaching her to see possibilities, to be confident in proposing new ideas and to embrace the hard work of change. Now a strategic communications professional, Caitlin helps clients across diverse sectors meet complex challenges with creative solutions.

At the Policy Resolution Group at Bracewell, Caitlin specializes in message development, spokesperson training, advocacy strategy and reputation management. She is passionate about partnering with her clients to tell compelling stories, navigate pivotal moments and achieve their goals.

For Caitlin, living the Marquette mission means constant learning by listening first, grounding yourself in purpose, having the courage to take initiative and always giving your best effort.

Caitlin is currently serving as president of the board of directors for Calvary Women’s Services. Calvary is a D.C. nonprofit organization that exhibits the Jesuit idea of cura personalis by providing housing as well as wrap-around services like health care, education and job readiness programs to local women experiencing homelessness. Caitlin is grateful to Marquette for providing the foundation for her to channel empathy into action. In her personal life, Caitlin and her husband, Ryan, are busy raising their two young sons.

Fun Facts:

Name someone (past or present) with whom you’d like to have dinner.

Over the last year, my family has joined others in the Marquette community to support the development of the James Wright Foley archives. Through that project, I’ve had the privilege of learning more about Jim’s story through his family and his writings. I have a sticker with Jim’s photo on it from the James Foley Foundation, which I keep on my desk as a daily reminder of his unwavering moral courage. I would like to have dinner with Jim to tell him what an inspiration he has been to so many — and to hear about his travels and his observations of the world and the people he met.

Name a Marquette faculty or staff member who had an impact on you, and how.

Marquette’s Les Aspin Center and the faculty there had a profound impact on my life, providing me with invaluable opportunities to learn about public service and policymaking firsthand in Washington, D.C. On campus in Milwaukee, Professor Julia Azari taught the best class I’ve ever taken — The American Presidency — which shaped my understanding of leadership and power.