Brigette Magee Clifford, M.A.

As the associate vice president of Student Programs, a role she has since 2022, Brigette Magee Clifford helps students all over the world connect and learn with Operation Smile. With students ranging from elementary school to university level, Clifford and her team help young people engage with the organization through their communities, registered clubs in their schools or on the global platform at Operation Smile’s summer International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC) or January’s Latinoamerica en Accion (LEA). Getting top tier students out on surgical programs and immersive programming to work alongside our global staff and volunteers is one of the most gratifying parts of her work. 

Clifford herself is no stranger to the immense learning that can happen at a young age through Operation Smile. As the oldest child of its founders, Kathy and Bill Magee, Clifford was on their first trip to the Philippines, when at the age of 13 she served as her father’s “scrub nurse.” A few years later, Clifford traveled with the first student team from Norfolk Academy’s Happy Club to Naga City, Philippines. At the time, she had no idea that this would be laying the groundwork for the non-profit’s vibrant student programs and become an experience that would have a great impact on her own career journey. 

An active volunteer since that time, Clifford has been working to increase awareness, educate and raise funds for Operation Smile. One program she spearheaded in 2007 is the Shamrock Operation Smile Final Mile, a partnership with J & A Racing that allows elementary age students to learn about cleft conditions and raise awareness for Operation Smile. In 2019, she took on an official role as director of student program initiatives, working to ensure that any student who wanted to volunteer with Operation Smile had the means and guidance, along with the platforms that will empower and teach leadership and life skills. 

In addition to her travels as a teen with Operation Smile, Clifford’s college semester abroad in Kenya with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) was a pivotal time in her life. The outdoors became her means to learn about the culture and landscape of Africa, while solidifying her love for learning by getting out of her comfort zone. Brigette received a B.S. in psychology from Denison University, a M.A. in clinical psychology from Loyola University and a child life certification from Johns Hopkins University. 

Brigette grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and currently lives in Virginia Beach with her family. She loves anything that takes her outdoors, especially if it means being on the water or cycling. In addition to her work with Operation Smile, Clifford says her biggest accomplishment in life lies in raising four children, Alec, Riley, Will and Isabelle.