BA ’13 Liberal Arts and Sciences (Majors: Sustainability Studies and Political Science)
Maria leads Breakthro
ugh Energy’s clean fuels portfolio and provides policy and advocacy expertise to advance the drive towards a net-zero economy. Prior to joining Gates Ventures and Breakthrough Energy, Maria served as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) where she led in the planning, development, and execution of agency policy. While at DEEP, she oversaw implementation of an Executive Order which expanded the scope of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) to address climate change mitigation and adaptation in the state. Before DEEP, Maria worked in the Washington D.C. office of the Natural Resources Defense Council on international climate policy and cross-programmatic strategy.
Maria holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Yale University and a B.A. in Sustainability Studies and Political Science from the University of Florida. While at UF she was actively engaged with the College Democrats, the Office of Sustainability, and Gators Going Green, where she planned the annual Student Sustainability Summit. She interned with the Alachua County Commission, was Sustainability Coordinator for the Young Entrepreneurs for Leadership & Sustainability (YELS) Program and served as undergraduate Research Assistant for Dr. Thiele.