For more than 20 years, Cynthia McCaffrey ’84 (known in Chapin’s halls as Cindy), has held leadership positions with UNICEF, including Director of the Office of Innovation, Chief of Staff, UNICEF Representative to China and, since 2022, UNICEF Representative to India. Earlier in her career, Cindy worked for the International Rescue Committee, the World Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development. A former White House Fellow, she graduated from Vanderbilt University and earned a master’s in public policy from the University of Texas, LBJ School. The mother of two Chapin alums, Sarah Hatchett ’19 and Lillian Hatchett ’22, Cindy lives in New Delhi, India.
*Published in the 2023 Alumnae Bulletin
“My mother always nudged us to be involved in our community,” said Cindy McCaffrey ’84, referring to herself and her two siblings. This encouragement sparked an interest in improving the lives of others and laid the groundwork for an amazing and impactful career in international development.
“I do have a cool job. I’m very lucky,” she exclaimed. Cindy’s cool job consists of overseeing 500 staff members in 14 offices, managing a multi-million-dollar budget and tirelessly advocating for the rights of children and women as the UNICEF Representative to India. Cindy joined UNICEF in 2001, undertaking a variety of roles from Senior Program Advisor managing government relations to Director of the Office of Innovation.
Reached at her home in New Delhi, where torrential rain, relentless humidity and temperatures as high as 103 degrees had wreaked havoc on the capital city, Cindy explained that India boasts the largest youth population in the world — over 460 million babies, children and adolescents.
“The Indian government is trying to invest in and strengthen their children,” she noted. “They see them as dividends, not a burden at all.”
UNICEF, she added, has operated in India for 74 incredible years, strengthening initiatives that had been established decades earlier, creating new programs, and fostering enduring relationships with children, mothers, families and communities across the vast country.
For Cindy, there is no typical day at a job as complex and demanding as hers. Along with “routine” duties such as approving contracts, leave requests and managing internal communications, she might fill her hours with, for instance, a courtesy call to an ambassador, attending a high-profile reception or meetings to strategize about program policies and priorities.
With her office at risk of flooding, keeping her staff safe was also top of mind. (As we began to speak, she was confirming that Delhi staff could opt to work from home).
Cindy tries to leave her desk as much as she can to observe first-hand the vital contributions her teams make. Recently, for example, she traveled to Uttar Pradesh, a northern state of 230 million people, to visit an early-childhood development center.
“I met with front-line workers who are trained to teach women about breastfeeding and also how to stimulate their babies and toddlers to get them ready for school,” she said.
Cindy described another UNICEF program centered in maternity wards that uses technology to measure, in real time, newborns who survived and those who didn’t. As a result, “the nurses and doctors calibrated and changed some of the protocols,” she said. “They were able to reduce asphyxiation,” which is common in parts of India.
In several other communities, Cindy has connected with adolescent girls. “I sit with them and ask them what’s on their mind. They talk very frankly about menstrual hygiene and having information and access to supplies,” she said. “It’s really exciting to see smart young girls understanding the world around them and also wanting to shape it more. It’s very rewarding to engage in a discussion at a policy level and then to go to the field and talk directly to young people.”
Looking back, Cindy points to a love of languages cultivated at Chapin and her Latin American studies degree from Vanderbilt University as starting her on the international path she ultimately chose.
Cindy’s parents’ unconditional support has been paramount. “I grew up a happy child. I always felt safe even in the crazy city,” she said, adding, “My mom knew how to direct each of us. We were close but very different.” (Cindy’s sister, Clare, a Brearley alum, is an interventional radiologist; her brother, Tom, is a stand-up comic.)
She attended P.S. 40 and Grace Church School, both near her downtown apartment, then enrolled at Chapin for Upper School. “These are the things I remember and carry with me: Chapin taught me how to write, and when I got to college, I was prepared. Chapin also had sports. Fencing became my sport with coach Linda Borock,” remarked Cindy. She also excelled at soccer.
Her Chapin teachers stood out for their expertise and care, especially Miss. Spillios, whose writing and editing instruction was exemplary, and our Headmistress, Mrs. Berendsen, who instilled in young Cindy self-confidence and resourcefulness. “She was strong, not soft. She pushed us.”
Cindy distinctly recalled the day she had to give a short speech during an All-School Assembly. She was nervous, but with Mrs. Berendsen’s support, her parents’ guidance and lots of practice, she ended up delivering pitch-perfect remarks. It was an experience that resonated. To this day, “I project my voice, I memorize most of my speeches, and I keep cards.”
Cindy also remains grateful for her Chapin friends, including classmates, Sarah Holloway, Fiona Kotur Marin, Lea Paine Highet, Alex Wolf, Christina Ferrari and Kristina Perkin Davison ’85 , whose friendship began when the two were in elementary school.
These days, meditating, practicing yoga, praying daily and enjoying India’s exquisite food and culture keep Cindy grounded. So do her husband, daughters, siblings, friends and colleagues. “It’s important to have people you can count on,” she said. Plus, her husband “Michael is an excellent cook.”
Clearly, Cindy is dedicated to and succeeding in her rewarding position with UNICEF. She would be overjoyed to see Chapin students and alums considering humanitarian careers.
“The more individuals we attract to the field, the more we can make a genuine change in the inequities that exist in the world,” she said. “UNICEF’s work with children is not charity. It is the ultimate investment in the future.”