Maria Balais relaunched TBG in 2020 after having been Executive Director of Leadership DeKalb from 2013-2020. Most recently, Maria was the Director of Programs for the Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC), where she oversaw education programming, events, marketing, and communications. Her greatest achievement at GWBC included the creation of the Accelerate Series program, in collaboration with women-owned businesses, which was a monthly virtual curriculum for small businesses covering topics including: “The Art of Negotiations;” “Preparing to do Business with Government;” “Business Planning & Forecasting;” “How Civic Engagement Can Lead to Business;” “HR: Talent Recruitment, Retention, and Development;” and “AI and Bot Technology Ethics and Impact;” just to name a few.
When she was at Leadership DeKalb, she was responsible for leading the organization in all aspects including operations, programs, fundraising, and strategy. In her seven years with LD, the organization impacted 54 nonprofit organizations, trained over 450 leaders and 38 emerging leaders. When she left LD, the organization was in a healthy financial position, considering it was during a global pandemic.
Prior to joining LD, she had her small firm, Maria Balais Consulting, with clients from business, government and nonprofit sectors. She worked in both the public and private sectors, including managing two political campaigns—State Senate Seat for Senator Sam Zamarripa, District 36 in 2002, and Aaron Watson, Atlanta City Council, Post 2 At-Large in 2009. Both won the elections.
Maria also had a ten-year career in Corporate Community Relations with ING Americas and Troutman Sanders, where she managed corporate community investment portfolios of $6 Million in grants and sponsorships nationally for both organizations.
In addition, Maria has a passion for the Arts, with a degree in Theater from Agnes Scott College, and a minor in modern dance. She was the Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council at the Metro Atlanta Chamber under the leadership of Sam Williams. In her own neighborhood, she founded the Atlanta Downtown Arts Festival in 2002-2011, curating emerging artists.
In her earlier career, Maria engaged with the Hispanic and Asian Communities through The Latin American Association, The Mexican Center of Atlanta, NACA, NAAP and The Philippine Chamber of Commerce.
She speaks three languages (English, Tagalog, Spanish), and resides in Atlanta, GA with her teenage son, Christopher.
Photo credit: Hope Productions Unlimited, Inc.