Maria Mugweru is a seasoned leader and strategist with over a decade of progressive experience in project and program management across clinical, academic, and community-engaged settings. She serves as Program Director for New Chapter Ventures, overseeing the strategic development and implementation of the Placemaking Labs. In this role, she provides immersive, high-touch support to churches and faith organizations, helping them bridge the gap between their foundational mission and tangible, high-impact execution. She handles all organizational aspects, including setting the scope of each program, managing deadlines within identified processes, nurturing effective communication with collaborators and stakeholders, overseeing the allocation of resources, and developing evaluation frameworks to assess program outcomes.
Maria’s career is defined by her unique ability to navigate the intersection of theology, law, and health care. Prior to working for New Chapter Ventures, she worked at Duke Divinity School as a Program Coordinator at the Ormond Center and a two-year Postdoctoral Associate with the Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative (TMC). During her time at Duke, Maria was instrumental in the development of two projects: the Advance Care Planning and Healthy Living Through Faith (ACP-HLTF) Program that aims to reduce racial disparities in advance care planning, and building out the African American Advance Care Planning and Palliative Network (AA ACP/PC), a national network of palliative care experts who spearhead collaborative opportunities at the intersection of race, justice, and health care. Her research focused on translating high-level academic insights into actionable programs for faith leaders, with a specific emphasis on overcoming racial inequities in end-of-life care and advance care planning.
Maria’s longstanding commitment to encouraging end-of-life conversations stemmed from her extensive ministry career as a chaplain, in some of the most challenging spaces, including:
Hospice Chaplaincy in Albuquerque, NM, supporting patients and families through end-of-life transitions.
Hospital Chaplaincy in Orlando, FL, navigating acute clinical crises at a pediatric hospital.
Prison and Jail Chaplaincy in Winston-Salem, NC, fostering hope and reconciliation within the carceral system.
Complementing her theological and clinical background is a strong foundation in legal advocacy. Prior to her work in ministry, Maria created and led a student law clinic at Wake Forest University, where she provided community members with legal information and advice on advance care planning, with a team of highly supportive supervising attorneys. Her collective experiences solidified her belief that health and legal priorities are deeply rooted in the faith and trust of community leaders. A master of cross-functional collaboration, Maria excels at cultivating relationships that exceed articulated objectives. Whether managing multi-million dollar budgets, designing complex organizational cohorts, or nurturing internal team communication, her work is always grounded in the pursuit of optimized outcomes that empower local communities.Maria continues to be a sought-after voice at the intersection of faith and public health, uniting her roles of preacher and teacher to create spaces where academic research pours directly into the community for the greatest public impact. She holds a Bachelor of the Arts in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Juris Doctor and Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University, and is a Doctor of Ministry candidate at Duke Divinity School.