Maribel was born in Guatemala City, is a fluent Spanish speaker, and has lived in the United States for most of her life — so she considers herself to be bi-cultural. Her mother is her hero, because she made incredible sacrifices to come to this country and set Maribel on the path to success.

This history has shaped her life as well as her work at the Foundation. Maribel’s passion for working in philanthropy comes from a deep personal desire to help stop the suffering of people whose health and wellness is compromised. She is particularly committed to behavioral health and ending the stigma of mental illness for every family in our beautiful state. She is a firm believer in prevention — detecting problems and intervening as early as possible — and improving access, quality and affordability of care.

In her downtime, Maribel enjoys meditation, hiking and believes in following your bliss. For her, that is found in her most rewarding life experience — as a mother and wife in a blended, multi-racial family, where somehow they make it all work in their own wonderful and colorful way.