by 
Consultant | Parks and Public Lands
Moderator | Climate, Cultural Resources and Public Lands
Maria talked her way into a job with the National Park Service at Independence Hall armed solely with a degree in Anthropology and crossed fingers. Her subsequent four-decade career with the NPS and her continued work in public service and conservation reflect her interest in historic preservation, the natural world and creative problem solving. She served in leadership roles at national park sites including historic areas, battlefields, seashores, recreation areas and NPS headquarters, helping partners develop, and building constituencies for parks and preservation. In retirement, she has served on her town’s historical commission and consulted to national park systems in Thailand, Mongolia, Russia, and Peru. She enjoys working as a change agent in community outreach, landscape-level conservation, organizational development, and conflict resolution. She lives in Wellfleet, MA with her husband, two cats and the occasional garden box turtle.
