Meet Maria

Executive. Turnaround leader. Consultant. Speaker. Storyteller.

Thirty-plus years inside the decisions, conversations, and challenges leaders are now asking me to teach.

Maria

Experience Earned in the Work

For more than three decades, I have led people, organizations, and businesses through growth, change, underperformance, and transformation.

I have served as a president and C-suite executive, consultant, coach, educator, and speaker — with responsibility for the same things leaders wrestle with every day: people, performance, culture, profitability, and the decisions that connect them.

These aren’t leadership lessons observed from the sidelines. They’re lessons lived from inside the responsibility of leading.

When Performance
Stalls, Look Deeper

People have often called me "The Fixer."

I became known for stepping into situations where performance had stalled, culture was struggling, or operations needed a new direction. My job was rarely to fix one isolated problem. It was to understand what was really getting in the way.

That meant looking beyond symptoms, asking better questions, challenging assumptions, clarifying expectations, and helping people reconnect their work to the results that mattered.

I learned early that sustainable performance rarely comes from a quick fix. It comes from people who understand what matters, know what is expected, and have the leadership and support to deliver.

What Strong Organizations Require

Trust

Earn it.
Trust is built through consistency, credibility, and follow-through.

Clarity

Create it.
People perform better when they understand what matters, why it matters, and what success looks like.

Confidence

Build it.
Strong leaders help people recognize what they are capable of and give them opportunities to grow into it.

Results

Deliver them.
Human-centered leadership and measurable performance are not competing ideas. The strongest organizations require both.

Maria

The Work Today

Today, I help leaders and organizations turn insight into action — strengthening the way people think, communicate, decide, perform, and respond when the stakes rise.

Through keynotes, workshops, executive development, consulting, and Lessons From My Dog Gunner®, I connect practical principles to the challenges people are actually navigating: trust, performance, communication, judgment, resilience, culture, accountability, and purpose.

The goal isn't simply to inspire people for an hour. It's to give them something they recognize, remember, and use when it matters most.

The Hard Parts Are the Work

See the whole picture.

Look beyond the immediate problem.

Make the decision.

Judgment matters when certainty is unavailable.

Own the outcome.

Leadership requires both humanity and accountability.

Beyond the Boardroom

My path has never followed one straight line. Business leadership, speaking, coaching, service, adventure, and life with animals have all shaped how I think about people and performance.

I believe some of the best leaders stay curious, remain willing to learn, pay attention to what others miss, and understand that strength and humanity belong in the same room.

Becoming a firefighter and serving on a Search & Rescue team with Gunner reflects something deeply important to me: being of service while continuing to push my own limits. I never imagined my journey would take me from the boardroom to the firehouse and the search trail—but some of our greatest growth begins when we step into roles we never pictured for ourselves.

Lessons From My Dog Gunner®

The Journey at a Glance

FIRST-TIME PRESIDENT — WITHOUT FIRST BEING A VP

Stepped into the presidency before ever holding the VP title - beginning a career of leading organizations through growth, change, and complex business challenges.

30+ YEARS LEADING FROM THE C-SUITE

Led public and privately held organizations with responsibility for people, performance, operations, brand, culture, and profitability.

Turnaround & Performance Leader

Known for stepping into stalled situations, finding the real issue, and creating a path forward.

Leadership Beyond the Boardroom

Firefighter & search and rescue training and serving in environments where awareness, communication, preparation, trust, and judgment matter - and where hesitation can carry consequences.

NATIONAL SPEAKER, EDUCATOR & EXECUTIVE ADVISOR

Translating decades of executive experience into practical strategies leaders and organizations can immediately put to work.

Creator of Lessons From My Dog Gunner®

Turning unforgettable moments with Gunner into leadership lessons people remember and use.

Experience Across Industries & Professional Environments

What Could Better Leadership Change for Your Organization?

Whether you are developing leaders, strengthening performance, navigating change, or creating an experience your audience will remember, the conversation starts here.