María Samaniego

Associate Director of Operations and Strategic Partnerships

EMAIL:MARIA.SAMANIEGO@ASPENINSTITUTE.ORG

 

María Samaniego is the Associate Director of Operations and Strategic Partnerships at the Center for Native American Youth. Prior to CNAY, she served as the Senior Program Manager for the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program where she spearheaded all aspects of their programming and partnership efforts. María has held several roles with Voto Latino and Occidental College’s Neighborhood Partnership Program where she led education, civic engagement and leadership development initiatives utilizing data driven best practices to improve access to opportunities in underserved communities. Maria currently serves on the Advisory Council for Support Latino Business Day and previously served on the board for Viva Panama, a nonprofit focused on raising awareness of the Panamanian community in the United States.

María is an alumnus of the HOPE Leadership Institute, the Schusterman Foundation’s Reality Program and is a Hispanic’s in Philanthropy Líderes Fellow. In 2020 she was awarded with an Aspen Institute Staff Achievement Award and in 2019 was named 40 under 40 in Washington, DC by Prospanica DC. She holds an MA in Education from Michigan State University, an MA in Latin American Studies from California State University, Los Angeles and a BA in Political Science and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Davis.