Maria has been working in the adult education field for a little over 30 years. Throughout the 30 years, she has taught adult students in a public school setting, in two homeless shelters, and the last 14 years for WI’s Department of Corrections (with the last 13 years in a men’s maximum institution). Not only did she teach adults ranging from the non-reader to prepping students for the GED tests, she had the opportunity to start and create a successful adult education program at one of the homeless shelters.
The two most memorable parts of her adult education career was developing an adult education program and watching all of her students succeed in their adult education goals, no matter how big or small the steps were. When she first started teaching in the adult education field, there were very few books available for the ABE student (those that were at or below the 5th grade reading level); so, she learned to create reading material and other curriculum for ABE classes. She continued to create curriculum throughout her career.
While working at the maximum prison, she participated in the tutoring program- first as a back-up tutor training coordinator then the tutor coordinator at the institution. Before she retired, she developed a self-independent study tutor training program, so inmates that wanted to become a tutor could learn about being a tutor on their own and experience it hands-on within the classroom. She retired at the end of October 2025 but decided to continue working in some way with the DOC tutoring program, fine-tuning the independent study tutor training program, and working as a volunteer with Wisconsin Literacy.
Her education background is as follows: BS in Social Studies, with a minor in Elementary Education and Religion; a Masters in Educational Leadership; and a Masters in Ministry with an emphasis in Pastoral Care and Counseling. Her philosophy in Adult Education is that every student has the capability to learn if given the opportunity to learn at their pace and to their capability.
