Maria is the Vice President-Chief People Officer for Wawa Inc., a chain of more than 1,100 convenience stores located in ten states in the Mid-Atlantic regions, Southeast regions and Washington, DC. Wawa is a family and associate-owned, privately held company with more than 47,000 Wawa associates serving almost 2 million customers every day. Wawa ranks: 24th on Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s Largest Private Companies, among the top ten largest Employee Stock Ownership Plans in the country in terms of participants and is one of Forbes Best Brands for Social Impact in 2023.
Maria joined Wawa in September 2006 as an attorney on the Legal Team, most recently serving as Deputy General Counsel until October 2023. As Wawa’s Chief People Officer, Maria oversees all HR functions, including Workforce Planning, Organizational Development, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Compensation and Retirement, Benefits and Wellness, and HRIT Systems. Prior to joining Wawa, Maria worked for two Philadelphia law firms in their Real Estate and Finance groups.
Maria is originally from Media, Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Languages in Spanish with International Business Coursework from Georgetown University, and she received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Maria currently is the Chair of The Wawa Foundation, Inc. and serves on Wawa’s Retirement Plans Committee. Maria lives in West Chester with her husband and their two daughters.