Maria was born and raised in Topeka, KS, and she moved to Memphis in 2016 to participate in the Downline Emerging Leaders program. She served in the Kansas Air National Guard for ten years (2011-2021), and as an Associate Youth Coordinator at Memphis Athletic Ministries (MAM). She has served on Eastside’s staff team since its launch in 2018. She is married to Jermaine.

Maria enjoys creating spaces for people to own their walks with the Lord and grow as kingdom-forward thinkers through planning events for her church family, Eastside’s mission partners, and her East Memphis neighbors.