Alumni Profile - Betsy Wright Hawkings ’86

Betsy Wright Hawkings

Betsy Wright Hawkings graduated from Williams in 1986 with a double major in American Studies and Art History. After working on Wall Street for one year, she moved to Washington and worked as a fundraiser until obtaining a job with her hometown Congressman, Christopher Shays, in 1988. Betsy started a new career in January 2009 with Amnesty International USA.

In her current position, she oversees AIUSA’s Government Relations team, charged with pressing the U.S. government to advance human rights globally in U.S. policy and legislation.

As Chief of Staff to Representative Christopher Shays (R-Conn), Betsy was overseeing congressional activities in Washington and Connecticut including policy, media, outreach and strategic planning, as well as fundraising. During her tenure on the Hill, Hawkings worked with constituents to take a leading role in establishing the 9/11 Commission and enacting its recommendations. She also helped Shays build the coalition to enact the Congressional Accountability Act, which applied labor, civil rights and workplace safety laws to Congress; and helped advocate against the use of torture and on behalf of women’s human rights, most recently on the International Violence Against Women Act, one of AIUSA’s current campaign priorities.

Betsy lives in Washington with her husband, who is managing editor of Congressional Quarterly Magazine, and their two sons.