Maria joined the National Wildlife Federation in 2025 to connect people to the Federation's conservation mission. Prior to joining the Federation, she worked at National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., and Maine Audubon in Falmouth, Maine.
Maria's love of the outdoors began in her childhood backyard in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she built fairy houses from moss and acorns and developed an early curiosity about the natural world. Today, as a volunteer at her local Girls Inc. after-school program, she enjoys reassuring other young women that worms are not that gross.
Maria believes philanthropy is a powerful catalyst for change and feels grateful to contribute to work that helps protect wildlife and wild places for future generations. The Federation's generous community of supporters gives her hope for a better world.
Maria graduated magna cum laude from Bates College with a BA in Classical and Medieval Studies. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband, Nathan, and their rescue pup, Athena.
