Maria leads corporate sponsorship fundraising strategy for the Institutional Giving team. She brings over two decades of experience supporting educational institutions and NGOs, and is passionate about building meaningful partnerships to advance educational equity and justice.

Maria began her career in public K-12 schools, developing expertise in special education, alternative education, school counseling, career & technical education, and career academies. She played a pivotal role in national school redesign efforts, supporting more than 170 schools across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in implementing a codified career pathways model. As a strategist and ambassador for educational equity, she fostered collaboration among community members, school and district leaders, higher education institutions, corporate stakeholders, and community partners—establishing advisory boards to support education institutions and nonprofits.

Maria has served as a development leader at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, The George Washington University Law School, and KID Museum Inc., a Washington, D.C.-area nonprofit dedicated to equipping the next generation with the skills to invent the future. She is passionate about the role philanthropy can and should play in fostering meaningful reparations for marginalized communities across the country.

Maria holds an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University and a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Neuropsychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She spends her spare time teaching and practicing yoga and is a strong advocate for mindfulness, empowerment, and our collective liberation.