Leveraging experience as an entrepreneur, executive, engineer, investor, and community builder, Maria works toward our mission of “Working together to help rural communities thrive.”
As CEO of Orbis Biosciences, Maria built a technology company that improved pharmaceutical manufacturing, won awards for its novel innovation, and was acquired by Adare Pharmaceuticals. As Managing Director of Techstars Kansas City, Maria invested in and coached companies across health tech, biotech, fintech, deep tech, and consumer tech. As a business consultant through her company Ambiologix, she worked with founders from over 30 companies and authored the book Make Opportunity Happen.
Maria was a Director at Cerner Corporation, where she held P&L responsibility for a life sciences business unit that provided drug safety software and services to pharmaceutical companies. She also created a new enterprise within Cerner for regional healthcare software.
Maria was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneurial Women to Watch and received the Pipeline Entrepreneurs’ Inspiration Award and Central Exchange’s STEMMy Enterprising Innovator Award. Maria earned degrees from the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and Kansas State University.
“Growing up on a farm makes me appreciate the people who live in rural communities. Twenty percent of Americans live in rural America, but only six percent of philanthropy reaches them. I’m excited to roll up my sleeves with our rural partners to improve the future of rural life.”
