As Chief of Staff for Denver International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports, Maria shapes the strategic direction of an organization that moves people, goods, and economic opportunity at a global scale. She leads Government Affairs and Global Public Policy, Culture and Strategy, Systems Integration, and the Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation (CEEA).

Maria directs DEN's engagement with federal, state, local and international stakeholders, advancing policy positions that advance the airport's operational interests and expands its’ global connectivity. Through Culture and Strategy, she translates the strategic vision into the values, behaviors, and systems that define how DEN operates at scale.

Founding DEN’s Systems Integration Management Office, she is building the connective tissue between strategy and execution. Aligning people and processes, and systems into one cohesive operational ecosystem. In leading the implementation of the industry's first of its kind, Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation (CEEA), Maria has established the center as a global thought leader for the future of aviation. Through CEEA, DEN is working to build the workforce pipelines and institutional partnerships that will sustain the industry for generations.

Before DEN, Maria served as Deputy Executive Officer at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the nation's second-largest public transit system. There she drove high-impact economic development initiatives and played a central role in the development of The SEED School of Los Angeles County; the nation's first college-preparatory boarding school dedicated to transportation infrastructure career pathways.

Her career spans education, healthcare, and large-scale infrastructure: industries that demand both systems thinking and deep human commitment. A first-generation college graduate, she holds an MBA, is a licensed Registered Nurse, and is a Hudson-trained Executive Coach.

Maria believes the most transformative thing an organization can build is a culture where talent rises, strategy executes, and impact compounds.