Maria Spies

Maria Spies has over 20 years of experience in the education industry. Maria began their career in 1997 as the Director of the Executive MBA Program at the Australian Graduate School of Management (UNSW). In this role, they were responsible for the integrity and quality of the students' learning experience, including innovation in, and coordination across, all aspects of the program. Maria then moved to the Institute of Internal Auditors - Australia in 2008 as the Director of Learning and Development, where they implemented a quality assurance framework and restructured the curriculum to align with a competency framework. In 2009, Maria became the Director of Blended Learning at the Australian College of Applied Psychology, where they were responsible for eLearning development and the implementation of an integrated, technology-driven student administration system. Maria then joined Navitas in 2011 as the General Manager of Global Learning & Teaching Services and the General Manager of Learning, Teaching & Tech Services (PEP Division). In 2016, they became the Head of Digital Learning Futures at Navitas Ventures. In 2019, Maria joined the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education as the Global Entrepreneur in Residence, and in 2018 they co-founded HolonIQ, a global education market intelligence platform.

Maria Spies has a diverse educational background. Maria has earned an Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from the MIT Sloan School of Management, a Doctor of Education (EdD) from the University of Liverpool in Education Innovation & Leadership (current), a Master of Adult Education from the University of Technology Sydney, and a Bachelor of Arts from UNSW in Visual Art. Maria also holds certifications from the ASU GSV Summit, including The 2018 ASU + GSV Summit, ASU GSV Summit 2016, and 2017 ASU GSV Summit.