Maria Garciaz was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She identifies as Chicana, with Mexican, Filipino, and Puerto Rican heritage, and was raised mostly by her single mother from New Mexico. She grew up in a large, working-class family with six siblings. Her grandparents’ families came to Utah from New Mexico and Colorado to work in the coal and copper mines, part of the economic migration that brought many Hispanic families to the state.

Growing up, Maria’s family moved frequently around Salt Lake City, often renting homes and following seasonal farm work through Idaho, Utah, and California. As a child, she didn’t think of herself as poor; she always had beans and tortillas to eat and laughter and joy with her family, but she became aware of racism and discrimination at a young age. Speaking Spanish was not accepted in school, and she experienced prejudice for being Mexican and coming from a low-income family. When she attended East High School, she was one of very few students of color, and it was there that she began to see the inequalities around her more clearly.

Maria’s commitment to community and justice was shaped by her early life experiences. High school was surely difficult and made her angry, but her mentor Archie Archuleta encouraged her to defy the odds. She stayed in school and became the first in her family to graduate from high school. At the University of Utah, she began on an engineering scholarship but quickly found sexism entrenched in the field. Knowing she belonged elsewhere, Maria shifted to political science with a minor in Chicano studies. During college, she participated strongly in the Chicano Movement, inspired by leaders like César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, and discovered her passion for advocacy. She later earned a master’s in education from Utah State University and completed executive education in community development at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Maria began working with youth early in her career as a probation officer, helping young people avoid juvenile detention. In 1982, she started volunteering with NeighborWorks Salt Lake, a nonprofit dedicated to housing, community revitalization, and youth empowerment. She became the organization’s executive director in 1990 and has since served as CEO, overseeing major housing and economic development efforts on Salt Lake City’s west side. She is also a founding partner of University Neighborhood Partners, building bridges between the University of Utah and west-side communities.

Over her decades of influence and leadership, Maria has received many awards, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, the César Chávez Peace & Justice Award, the Distinguished Alumni Award at the U, and the National NeighborWorks Lifetime Achievement Award. She continues to serve on advisory boards for banks, nonprofits, and community organizations.

Maria’s life emulates a genuine dedication to justice, equity, and community. Despite serious political pushback, she remains a strong advocate for low-income families, young people, and communities of color—especially those whose narratives, similar to her own, are often left out of Utah’s history.