Maria is a Senior Vice President at Mercury’s Austin office, bringing fifteen years of experience in the political and governmental arenas, where she has run crisis management and strategic communications efforts in a host of issue areas. At Mercury, Maria focuses on public affairs, media strategy and crisis communications for a broad range of clients.

Prior to joining Mercury, Maria served as the Director of Public Affairs at the Alliance for Downtown New York, one of the nation’s largest business improvement districts, and a leading New York City public-private partnership. In that role, Maria strengthened the organization’s branding and expanded its public reach and presence.

Maria has worked extensively in public service, including her tenure as Press Secretary to former New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. As a member of the Speaker’s senior leadership team, Maria managed communications strategies, oversaw message development and maintained consistent effective media relations. In 2009, City and State selected her as a top “40 Under 40” in city government and politics.

A graduate of Wellesley College, Maria lives in Austin with her husband and daughter.