Maria Velasco, Intercultural Training and Consulting Manager, has over 15 years of consulting and training experience in the field of diversity, inclusion and cultural competence. She has successfully designed and facilitated training programs and consultation services to support organization’s efforts on building cultural awareness and promoting a culture of inclusion. Her projects include those in higher education, healthcare, mental health, technology, scientific, government and non-profit organizations throughout the U.S. Maria uses Appreciative Inquiry methodology to build inclusive cultures and foster intercultural understanding.
Born and raised in Salamanca, Spain, Maria has a BA in Business Administration and is a Certified Cultural Competency Trainer by the Cross Cultural Health Care Program. She has a Masters in Organizational Development and Leadership from Fielding University.
From 2008 to 2015 Maria served as the Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Intercambio Uniting Communities where she successfully launched a Cultural Awareness and Diversity program to educate and coach nonprofit organizations to become more inclusive and culturally competent. Prior to that, she served four years as the Director of Languages and Cultural Services at Mason General Hospital where she facilitated access to healthcare for multicultural individuals, provided cross-cultural training to physicians and clinical staff, and developed and implemented a systems-wide cultural competency improvement plan.
Maria is originally from Spain, where she got her BA in Business Administration. She is also a cultural competency trainer in health and human services, and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Organizational Development at Fielding Graduate University.
