Maria Villafranca (she/her) is a mother, writer, and nonprofit administrator with significant experience working at the intersection of the arts, culture, and social change.

She has held leadership positions at a range of institutions that support individual artists and grassroots arts organizations, and has also led career development workshops for creative professionals across the country. Prior to joining Leeway Foundation, she was the Executive Director of CoDesign Collaborative, a nonprofit that promotes trauma-informed design approaches for young people and adults. Previous roles include Project Manager at the Asian Arts Initiative (AAI), Director of Online Resources at the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), and Director of Communications at the Warhol Foundation.

Her work is rooted in a strong belief in the power of storytelling and community-led change. She holds a BA in Art History and English from Rutgers University and an MFA in Fiction from Brooklyn College.