Manager of School and Community Partnerships, Grand Valley State University Charter School Office

Maria Montoya is the Manager of School & Community Partnerships at Grand Valley State University’s Charter School Office (CSO) in Detroit, MI. Maria is an enrollment, engagement, and communication specialist with a background in assisting authorizers/district leaders in developing systems and strategies to improve access and transparency.

Prior to moving to Michigan, Maria worked for the Recovery School District (RSD) in New Orleans as the Director of Enrollment and Student & Family Services. She helped lead the creation of the district’s unified enrollment process. Maria was additionally a member of the RSD team responsible for launching the city’s first citywide truancy center, and early childhood care and education enrollment processes.

She is a former journalist who received her Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Florida. This spring, Maria will earn a M.Ed from GVSU’s College of Education.

When not in school or helping improve the quality of Michigan schools, Maria can be found at the cooperative bookstore (Book Suey) that she, and several book loving friends, opened in 2017.