Madiana Margao

Meet author and educator, Madiana Margao. Born a first generation Sierra Leonian-American, Madiana is an acknowledged pillar in her community. She works tirelessly to support and inspire underprivileged youth in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area.

Since earning a degree in fashion merchandising from Marymount University of Arlington, VA, in 2004, Madiana has held a number of professional positions within creative industries including: serving as a costume designer and personal stylist for various musical acts, working as Visual Director for Macy’s, Inc. (Mid-Atlantic), Display Designer for Marriott International, Inc. (Washington, DC), and Creative Director for Universal Gear (NYC).

Over the past decade, she has held a wide variety of increasingly responsible professional positions in both the public and private sectors with groups including the Miss USA Organization, USO Metro, the Department of Employment Services, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the YMCA, among others. In addition, she serves as a consultant and mentor to non-profit organizations throughout the DC Metropolitan area, including High School Cypher, Singa, Inc., Do The WriteThing and Life Success Center.

Madiana is Co-Owner of Red Sprinkle, LLC, and Co-Founder of non-profit, DC Youth Fashion Alliance, which both provide free original programming for youth that introduce career options in the fashion and entertainment industries.
Madiana started her businesses after recognizing a deficiency in available resources for students interested in developing creative careers in these industries. Through her work with Red Sprinkle and the DC Youth Fashion Alliance, she has raised thousands of charitable dollars annually. This money has been reinvested consistently into the more than 500 students her organizations serve annually and provides the foundation for economic development for participants.

Currently, Madiana spearheads youth creative development programs at six separate locations within the Metropolitan area. Her partners include the District of Columbia Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery County Recreation Department, the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH), So Others Might Eat, After Schools All-Stars, the YMCA, and a host of others.

In addition, to authoring the motivational do-it-yourself book, “30 Days of Style: Crafts and DIY,” which has recently been accepted into the Library of Congress’ permanent catalogues, Madiana also consults as Program Coordinator for the teen division of Miss DC (USA), providing programming and development training for pageant hopefuls.