WBD Employee Spotlight: Maria Bianculli

November 2, 2020

Meet Maria Bianculli, a WBD Senior Associate who joined the firm in 2020. Maria says she was attracted to WBD because of the firm’s “vibrant and growth-oriented energy.” She says, “I ultimately chose to come to WBD because I knew I’d have greater opportunities to do interesting work that I am passionate about in an environment that would be engaging and rewarding.”

With multiple hats to wear, Maria never has a dull moment. One such hat is conducting research for the USAID Private Sector Engagement Support team, helping them create content and training products to build USAID’s capacity in engaging the private sector on development challenges.

“I assist across the ongoing activities we have with various USAID Missions in Latin America and the Caribbean, conducting research to better inform our deliverables. I also support our Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager in designing and launching a fund to build the capacity of Missions around the world in their research and data collection capabilities,” she explains.

At FEMA, Maria works as a Strategic Planner where she helps with the design and implementation of tools and processes to help the Agency become a more mature, more efficient organization. “I work directly with stakeholders within the Chief Information Officer’s office on a variety of tasks, complementing their technical subject matter expertise with my knowledge of best business practices,” she says.

When she’s not supporting the U.S. government , Maria is out walking her rescue dog, Lemon. And careful engaging Maria around college basketball: “I could talk about how much I love Georgetown basketball all day,” she reveals. Maria graduated with a B.A in Government from Georgetown University in 2017.

While Maria brings so much talent and spirit to her colleagues at WBD, she insists she’s receiving more than she gives. “It may sound cliché, but I am always in awe of the talent and intellect my colleagues come to the table with. I value being surrounded by such impressive people, and I appreciate having the opportunity to both learn from them and contribute to meaningful work products alongside them,” she says.

“WBD fosters a culture that convenes hard-working, thoughtful and productive people, and I’m happy to be a part of that,” notes Maria.

The emphasis WBD puts on professional growth also drew Maria to join the firm. She is already mapping out her future career at WBD.

“I hope to help WBD expand its international development capabilities and portfolio. Leadership and my colleagues at WBD are very supportive of employees engaging in the business development side of the firm, and the culture of knowledge-sharing, training, and mentoring has allowed me to build my skills in a meaningful way,” she says.

Working alongside Maria, her colleagues attest she has embraced and demonstrates WBD’s core values in her entrepreneurial approach, collaborative execution, and the relentless spirit she brings to her work.

At WBD, our people make us great.