Maria Joanta

Maria serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the New York Genome Center (NYGC) and is responsible for the organization’s overall financial leadership, strategic financial planning and financial operations management.

Ms. Joanta is an accomplished leader in the nonprofit industry, with experience in nonprofit finance, research administration, strategic planning, budgeting, compliance, reporting, analytics, and process automation. Before joining the NYGC in July 2021, Ms. Joanta spent eight years at Columbia University, where she held positions as Director of Finance and Administration in the Department of Computer Science and Finance and Budget Manager of the Department of Psychiatry. In these roles, Ms. Joanta was responsible for managing the financial and operational functions of these academic/medical departments, with a focus on implementing strategic business plans and managing research portfolios.

She is a member of the National Council of University Research Administrators, a distinguished provider of professional development, knowledge, and leadership in the global research administration and research management community.

Prior to Columbia University, Ms. Joanta worked for five years at Citigroup, becoming an Assistant Vice President under its Global Expense Management organization. Additionally, she consulted for Microsoft Advertising for its analytical Search Engine Optimization team.

Ms. Joanta obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Baruch College of The City University of New York and an MBA with a double major in Finance/Investments and Information Systems from the Zicklin School of Business of Baruch College.