Maria is a senior advisor to boards and executive teams on strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, crisis moments and change initiatives. She draws on decades of experience reconciling philanthropic, private, investor and NGO positions in the arenas of sustainability, climate risk and social impact.

Her background combines research, strategic planning and the full-suite of implementation tactics. She has worked extensively with foundations, family offices, nonprofits and private-sector initiatives to create impact. Clients include: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Columbia University, IFC/World Bank, Mars, NRDC, PepsiCo, PwC, and World Wildlife Fund.

Maria began her career at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in multilateral negotiations. She joined Penn, Schoen & Berland (a WPP company), helping to develop messaging and campaign strategies for presidential and parliamentary contests around the world: Ukraine, Serbia, South Korea, Zimbabwe and the USA. Most recently, Maria was a Partner at Brunswick Group, a global critical issues and financial situations advisory firm. Over 15 years, she helped grow the Business & Society practice along with four related offers: ESG, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Foundations and Nonprofits and Stakeholder Engagement.

Maria attended Harvard Kennedy School and Tufts University. She serves on the Advisory Boards of the New York Botanical Garden and Turkish Philanthropy Funds. She lives in New York with her family and loves exploring the cuisines of her multi-ethnic background which includes Italian, Turkish, Polish and Filippino heritage. She and her husband founded, Double Knot Rug Gallery, the premier gallery of tribal carpets and textiles in NYC.