She attended the University of California, Los Angeles on scholarship where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Generative Linguistics.
She currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband, ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin.
[2] She later left TNC to become a founding member of Conservation International (CI) where she was director of the Costa Rica and Panama programs.
[3] In 1996, Madrigal co-founded the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) with Dr. Mark Plotkin.
She frequently visits South America to work with ACT's staff, indigenous colleagues, and partners.