Maria Tata, Senior Associate - Policy & Advocacy

Maria graduated from The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs in May 2024 with an M.A. in Security Policy Studies and a concentration in Conflict Resolution. She previously graduated from Boston University in 2018 with a B.A. in International Relations and a minor in Business Administration and Management. During college, she studied abroad in Brussels, Belgium, and Geneva, Switzerland—where she interned at the NGO Graduate Women International.

Following her undergraduate studies. Maria worked at the nonprofit Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), based in Boston, which is focused on economic development in under-resourced communities throughout the U.S. While at ICIC, Maria was on the Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) team where she assisted in the planning and implementation of a small business executive-education program. She led the webinar and digital learning team and managed a handful of cohorts nationwide. During graduate school, Maria worked at AfP as a Policy & Advocacy Assistant, supporting AfP’s implementation of policy advocacy interventions. With her research and drafting, Maria helped lay the groundwork for the Atrocities Risk Assessment: Democratic Republic of the Congo and two-pagers submitted to the U.S. Government.

Maria's interests focus on conflict resolution, peace processes and negotiations, and human rights. Her graduate capstone project investigated the public sentiment around Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace. Upon receiving IRB approval, Maria and her team traveled to Colombia, where they collected original data to analyze Colombians' feelings towards transitional justice after the human rights abuses committed during the conflict.

Maria lives in Washington, DC, and in her free time, enjoys yoga, cooking new recipes, and skiing.