Director, Youth & Family Innovations
Director, Charisma Virtual Social Training
University of Texas at Dallas

With a strong foundation in research, business, healthcare and education, Maria is dedicated to working closely with educational and healthcare organizations to research, develop and promote virtual social learning, brain health, and parenting programs from coast to coast. Community-based outreach has been at the forefront of Maria’s professional ambition, and she is excited to explore the next level of innovation, partnership and distribution for the UT Dallas Center For BrainHealth Charisma- Virtual Social Training and Youth & Family Innovation Initiatives. Maria is a strong advocate for bringing education and awareness of social brainhealth and leadership skills to the forefront of education and healthcare, with strategic focus on neurodiversity. She is proud to serve as a key community resource in assisting youth organizations, clinicians, teachers, and families discover how to best support the social, emotional and cognitive development of the youth in their lives. She currently sits on Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategic Planning Committee for the Girl Scouts-North East Texas region, as well as develops leadership programming for the National Charity League, Inc.

Maria is a seasoned Speech Language Pathologist, currently residing in Texas. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Masters of Art in Communication Disorders. Her undergraduate degree was in Special Education, with a concentration in communication sciences. Prior to joining the University of Texas at Dallas, Maria was the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, supporting at-risk youth and their families for over 15 years in navigating educational and healthcare systems to best access speech, language, and social learning services.