Maria is also well-known for co-establishing "The Girl Effect", a project by the Nike Foundation that seeks to empower the more than two hundred fifty million adolescent girls to make their mark in society. Through the Nike Foundation and The Girl Effect, Maria has collaborated with numerous organizations in helping the women around the world in participating in their society's activities.
Maria has a diverse career background, having worked as a reporter, producer, public servant and manager. She has experience in working in both the public and private sectors, and has a deep understanding of how people in both sectors think. This has enabled her to successfully run the Nike Foundation and work with numerous organizations in helping make the world a better place for the adolescent women.
Prior to founding the Nike Foundation, Maria became the company's first vice president for corporate responsibility. Under her leadership, Nike was able to smoothly go through the challenges of the business world during the financial crisis that hit the late 1990s, through developing and implementing Nike's very first corporate responsibility agenda, which included environmental sustainability, labor practices, community investment, governance and diversity.
Many of Maria's colleagues describe her as a very determined individual, never letting obstacles or challenges keep her from achieving her goal. She has also exhibited a love and passion for young women, something that drove her in creating "The Girl Effect" with Novo founders Peter and Jennifer Buffett.
Maria's success in her career can be attributed to her 'never say die' attitude. Throughout her life, she has been faced with numerous challenges and disappointments that would have gotten her off track, had it not been for her sheer determination in moving forward. She is a great example of what it means to pursue your dream, and what it means to do something great for the community. She said:
"I want people to be inspired to believe that seemingly intractable problems are solvable. It takes tenacity and hard work, but we have to stay ambitious. You can't think, 'Ah, I can't solve that stuff, so why get involved.' We need to get involved."
Maria has such a talent with words that since she was young, she already exhibited the traits of being a diplomat. This has helped her all these years in the positions that she held in various companies and sectors, being able to use her diplomatic skills to convince both sides of any argument to arrive at a feasible conclusion.
This talent for speaking has also enabled her to become a very effective and powerful speaker; Maria often goes around the world speaking at various events and forums on topics such as corporate social responsibility, good governance, sustainable development, philanthropy, human and labor rights, as well as social entrepreneurship.
Her passion for the adolescent woman stems from her own 'learning journey'. Maria spent a great deal of time researching and exposing herself to her fellow women around the world. At first, Maria thought that aiding women in developing countries was the key, but soon enough, she found that it would have been too late. She then realized that the best time to help a woman was during her adolescent years, the very crossroad that determines how the girl is going to become a woman.
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