Dr. Maria Skouras

Dr. Maria Skouras develops marketing strategies for the Office of Innovation’s Communication & Engagement Lab, where she takes a resident-first, data-driven approach to promoting critical State services and programs to New Jerseyans.

Maria’s interest in public service began during her career in NYU’s Office of Government and Community Affairs, where she developed public communications and built enduring relationships with Greenwich Village residents, nonprofits, and business improvement districts. Since then, she has written and managed award-winning grants and composed content on trends in higher education for faculty across the U.S. Maria’s love of learning led her to The University of Texas at Austin, where she taught undergraduate media studies courses and was recognized for her outstanding management of large-scale research projects on the digital divide.

Maria brings global and local experience to her communications work. She served as a Peace Fellow for the Advocacy Project in Malaysia, where she shared the personal stories of marginalized female artisans and has participated in community revitalization projects in New Orleans, Jamaica, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, she been the recipient of several communications and policy fellowships, including the Consortium on Media Policy Studies (COMPASS), where she served as a research fellow at the U.S. Advisory Commission for Public Diplomacy in Washington D.C., and the Milton Wolf Emerging Scholars for research in media and international relations in Austria.

Maria earned her Ph.D. in Media Studies from The University of Texas at Austin, M.S. in Global Affairs from NYU’s School of Professional Studies, M.A. in Humanities and Social Thought from NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Science, and B.A. in Art and Social Change from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Born and raised in New Jersey, Maria loves going “down the shore” and frequenting the Tri-State area’s amazing restaurants and museums.