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Maria joined the board from the U.S. Department of State, where from 2009 until February 2013 she served as Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, overseeing U.S. foreign relations on issues ranging from democracy and human rights to criminal justice and violent extremism. Born in Bolivia, Maria was—at the time of her departure—the State Department’s highest-ranking Hispanic official, and she was the first Latina Under Secretary in its history. Before joining State, Maria was President and CEO of ACCION International, a pioneer organization in the field of microfinance. She is steeped in the issues of gender and inclusive economic growth, having also served as the Economist for Latin America in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Women in Development office.

Maria’s recent board service includes Vice-Chair, U.S. Institute of Peace and Chair, the Inter-American Foundation, both Senate-confirmed presidential appointments. She also served on the boards of the Calvert Foundation, Bread for the World, which she also chaired, and BRAC in Bangladesh. She is currently a trustee of the Kresge Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, Herbalife, a publicy traded company, and BancoSol, a microfinance commercial bank in Bolivia. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and in December 2012, the Society for International Development honored Maria with its Award for Leadership in Development, citing “her profound contributions to the international development community.”