Recipient of the 2016-17 Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award

As a child in Buenos Aires, it may have been difficult for you to visualize the journey to Hanover, New Hampshire. But later, years after your family relocated to Great Neck, New York, you applied to Dartmouth. When you arrived on campus for your Dimensions visit, you found the students both welcoming and fascinating. During those sunshine-filled days on the Green, you knew the College on the Hill was the place for you.

An engineering major, you became involved with the Women in Science Project, served on the Class Council, and joined the Tabard. Though you claim you were not really that “outdoorsy” when you arrived at Dartmouth, that quickly changed. You became a first-year trip leader for the Dartmouth Outing Club, and founded a skydiving club on campus after it became apparent that many of your peers shared your passion. You adored getting to know the hundreds of Dartmouth students you took skydiving, driving hours to the jump sites on weekends.

Upon graduation, you headed to Wall Street to work as a derivatives trader. While you enjoyed this experience, the pull of the outdoors was powerful, and you left your job to found Urban Escapes, which you describe as “DOC trips for adults, with beer.” The Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network provided assistance as you established the company, which was purchased by Living Social in 2010. You stayed on to expand the company, but soon you and your husband Dave were ready for your next adventure. The two of you spent an incredible year and a half backpacking around the world, staying in touch with your trademark handwritten postcards. A meaningful highlight of this period was time spent volunteering in a Bhutan hospital. Upon returning from this adventure, you began actively investing in companies, among them Greenhouse Software. You were so impressed by the work of Greenhouse Software that you joined the team. You are now vice president of strategy and people, helping to build and grow this high-performing organization.

Your talents are widely recognized in your industry. Inc. Magazine placed you on the “30 Top Entrepreneurs Under 30 Years Old” list in 2010, and this year Workforce Magazine presented you with the 2016 Game Changer award.

As incredibly demanding as your schedule is, you’ve carved out time to volunteer for Dartmouth because you feel that you yourself have benefited from the “unbelievable” community filled with great people. You represented the great class of 2005 on the Alumni Council, and the mentorship program you helped to launch connecting the ’05s with ’15s interning in three cities has expanded and continued. As a member of the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, you enjoyed connecting to remarkable alumni you’d not met while at Dartmouth. Not only did you co-chair your 10th reunion, but under your leadership the class of 2005 endowed the Seed Fund for Social Good, which funds a student entrepreneur venture every year. As a valued member of the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network, you speak on panels, assist other entrepreneurs, and engage with current students. You also served as an alumni interviewer for Admissions.

Your fabulous husband Dave, always supportive of your Dartmouth endeavors, sometimes jokes he wishes he could do it all over again and go to Dartmouth, he feels it’s that special. Your wonderful Green siblings Dan ’09 and Gabby ’15 followed in your footsteps to the College, so your parents have long had a great excuse to make the pilgrimage to Hanover.

Maia, we are grateful your journey led you to Dartmouth, and for the talents and enthusiasm you continue to share with the College. In appreciation of the powerful and energizing impact you have made on your alma mater, students, and your fellow alumni, we are pleased and proud to present you with the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

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