Maria Pierre is an Administrative Associate for the Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities (SCPEC). SCPEC leverages the power and possibilities of ASU as the New American University to integrate arts, culture and design in community development, planning and related fields in order to help redress historic inequities and create healthy, equitable, more just communities where all people can thrive. She supports the Community Orientation Action Research Team, a collective team of researchers from the Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities, the Equity Center at the University of Virginia and ASU’s School of Social Transformation. The team will provide research support during the first phase of The Wallace Foundation’s arts initiative focused on arts organization of color.
Maria graduated from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Design Management. After graduating from ASU she worked in client management, customer service and interior design. Her professional and personal passion for human-centered work is also evidenced in her volunteering experiences with the Arizona Burn Foundation, the Salvation Army, and the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation. She seeks to continue a professional path that supports the health and wellness of diverse communities.