Biography
Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Maria Cadenas has had the advantage of living and traveling across Mexico and the United States. She spent her early childhood in Ensenada, a small fishing village in Baja California, Mexico. Some of her most treasured memories come from the annual trips across Mexico during the holidays to visit her grand parents in Mexico City and Tabasco. Later on her family decided to move to the San Diego area, where they became US citizens.
At 18, she left California for Wisconsin, in order to pursue a dual degree in Creative Writing and Business Administration at Beloit College. During her undergraduate experience she participated as a Kemper Scholar, which exposed her to various roles within the insurance industry all across the country, including Seattle, Philadelphia, and the Chicago area. She also lived abroad in Sevilla, Spain.
After graduation she joined Accenture as a consultant focused on PeopleSoft implementations. During her tenure at Accenture she further developed her business strategy and organizational analysis. In 2010, she earned her Masters in Business Administration from Alverno College.
A Women's Media Center Progressive Women's alumna, Cadenas served as the executive director for Cream City Foundation and sits on the board of Funders for LGBTQ Issues and formerly hosted a radio show on WMSE. Her focus has been in developing philanthropic models that foster community engagement, collaboration, and move communities forward. She is the current Philanthropy Manager for Driscoll's, where she supports an employee-led regional philanthropy focused on farm workers and their families.
Maria and her partner live in Santa Cruz, California with their daughter, dog, and cat.
View Linked In Profile
At 18, she left California for Wisconsin, in order to pursue a dual degree in Creative Writing and Business Administration at Beloit College. During her undergraduate experience she participated as a Kemper Scholar, which exposed her to various roles within the insurance industry all across the country, including Seattle, Philadelphia, and the Chicago area. She also lived abroad in Sevilla, Spain.
After graduation she joined Accenture as a consultant focused on PeopleSoft implementations. During her tenure at Accenture she further developed her business strategy and organizational analysis. In 2010, she earned her Masters in Business Administration from Alverno College.
A Women's Media Center Progressive Women's alumna, Cadenas served as the executive director for Cream City Foundation and sits on the board of Funders for LGBTQ Issues and formerly hosted a radio show on WMSE. Her focus has been in developing philanthropic models that foster community engagement, collaboration, and move communities forward. She is the current Philanthropy Manager for Driscoll's, where she supports an employee-led regional philanthropy focused on farm workers and their families.
Maria and her partner live in Santa Cruz, California with their daughter, dog, and cat.
View Linked In Profile
