Maria has over 28 years of experience in higher education in roles ranging from student academic affairs to institutional development and adjunct faculty member. She served as the Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation (NSF) project focused on work-focused experiential learning to increase STEM student retention and graduation at two-year Hispanic-serving institutions

Currently serving as a Commissioner for the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, Maria advocates for STEM education and workforce initiatives. She is an Advisory Board Member and former Co-Principal Investigator for the ALRISE – NSF INCLUDES Alliance. Additionally, she directs the Hermanas: Diseña Tu Futuro conferences, a public/private collaboration with Intel Corporation to increase the number of Latinas in engineering.