Maria Arogundade

Maria is a chartered accountant and finance professional, having also completed the first two levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program. Originally from Nigeria, she began her career at Deloitte, where she gained foundational experience in audit and financial services, and later served as head of finance and operations at James Hope University.

Maria was selected as a fellow for the David Martin Graduate Student Leadership Forum and serves on the Student Advisory Board for the Education Policy and Analysis (EPA) Program. As President of the HGSE African Student Organisation, she co-led the planning and execution of the inaugural African Education Dialogue, and she served as co-chair of the HGSE Global Women Initiative, a pioneering student affinity group under the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI). In recognition of her work supporting the Harvard Physics Department, she was nominated for the 2025 Harvard Student Employee of the Year Award.

Maria is passionate about using finance for good and is committed to public service—leveraging her expertise to drive impactful, sustainable solutions. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, going to church, reading, and cheering on her favorite NFL teams.

Initial Fellowship Focus: The fellow will establish new data systems and routines around measuring the performance of the city’s grants management function.