Maria Torres-Springer

Maria Torres-Springer is Vice President for U.S. Programs at The Ford Foundation. She oversees all the foundation’s domestic programming for Civic Engagement and Government, Creativity and Free Expression, Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice, Future of Work(ers), Just Cities and Regions, and Technology and Society.

Maria’s extensive experience includes almost 15 years in public service with the City of New York, where she led three agencies addressing some of the city’s most significant public policy challenges such as housing affordability, economic development, and workforce development. Throughout her tenure in the public sector and in previous roles in the non-profit and private sectors, she has worked to create powerful partnerships among communities, business, and government in pursuit of expanded economic opportunity and justice for the historically marginalized.

Maria earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s in public policy from The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.