What do volleyball, international travel, nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and municipal civil service have in common? For Maria Kenneally, they’ve all been part of a journey shaped by curiosity, new opportunities, and a willingness to step into unfamiliar territory. Today, she leads the Municipal Services Division for the New York State Department of Civil Service, but the path that brought her there is anything but ordinary.

Maria’s story began in Denver, Colorado, where she was born to parents who both grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her family eventually moved to Guayaquil, Ecuador, before settling in Yorktown Heights, New York, in 1983. Growing up across different places and cultures gave Maria a varied background, and her interest in exploring new experiences continued through her college years at SUNY Albany.

Although she initially pursued political science, Maria ultimately chose a double major in Business Administration and Spanish Literature. But some of her most memorable college experiences happened outside the classroom. She joined the university’s Division III women’s volleyball team as a freshman walk-on, earning the Most Improved Player award at the end of her first season. She remained on the team for four years, traveling throughout New York State along the way.

Maria also studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, worked as a student athletic trainer, and volunteered as a volleyball coach with the Co-Sun volleyball club, coaching a travel team of high-school girls. Athletics, education, and coaching provided opportunities to learn, compete, and work with others—experiences that would continue to influence her professional journey.

After graduation, Maria spent a year substitute teaching at Lakeland High School while coaching junior varsity volleyball at Walter Panas High School. She then returned to Albany in 1994 to pursue a master’s degree in public administration at Rockefeller College. As part of her graduate studies, she completed an internship with Special Olympics New York, supporting the New York team participating in the 1995 World Games.

That experience led to a position with Special Olympics New York, where Maria worked as a secretary and later as an associate director of development. She helped organize fundraising events, including the Satin, Silks and Stars black-tie gala and the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which preceded the organization’s annual Summer Games.

Her career would take another turn before she found her long-term professional home. Maria worked as an assistant marketing manager for Colonie Center and Alliant Foodservice, coordinating promotional events, sales meetings, food shows, and marketing materials. Each position added another dimension to her professional experience, from communication and organization to event planning and working with people.

In 2001, Maria joined the New York State Department of Civil Service as a Public Management Intern. More than 25 years later, she has built an impressive career within the Municipal Services Division, advancing through positions as an Associate Municipal Personnel Consultant, Senior Municipal Personnel Consultant, and Human Resources Specialist 4 and 5. In 2024, she was appointed Director of Municipal Services, where she now leads a team of more than 20 professionals providing technical advice and assistance to local government civil service agencies throughout New York State.

Receiving the NYSAPCSO Merit & Fitness Award in 2017 was another particularly meaningful career milestone, one Maria describes as a career highlight and great honor.

Ask Maria what she’s learned along the way, and her answer offers a glimpse into the kind of leader she strives to be. “Change takes time, perseverance and patience,” she explains. She continues working to become a better listener and communicator, believes in trusting her gut, and makes a point of treating everyone with respect. She also looks for opportunities to help newer staff members learn, using questions that come into the Municipal Services Division as teaching moments. And she believes there’s value in not taking yourself too seriously.

That perspective carries into her advice for anyone beginning a career in civil service: “Be a sponge. Read, read, read! Ask questions.” Understanding the system takes time, she acknowledges, but once you begin to understand it, “you will be unstoppable!” She also offers an important reminder: it’s perfectly okay to admit when you don’t know something.

Maria’s dedication to service extends beyond her professional responsibilities. From 2018 through 2023, she volunteered with Friends of Shenendehowa Crew, a nonprofit organization promoting rowing for students in the Shenendehowa Central School District. Serving as a volunteer, board member, fundraising chair, and eventually president, she helped secure grants to support the organization’s operations during a difficult financial period.

Outside the office, Maria enjoys playing volleyball, taking walks, shopping in brick-and-mortar stores, cooking, baking, and binge-watching Netflix. Her husband, Mike, might suggest she has no hobbies, but Maria would likely disagree. Above all, she values any opportunity to spend time with her three children, Kris, Justin, and Nick.

When asked what she would change to strengthen civil service at the local government level, Maria admits she’s still working on her answer and would welcome ideas from others. It’s an interesting perspective from someone who has spent more than two decades helping local governments navigate the civil service system. Even after all these years, she remains open to new ideas and better ways of doing things.

Perhaps that’s one of the most valuable lessons in Maria’s journey. From a freshman walk-on willing to take a chance to a leader guiding a team of dedicated professionals, she has continued to embrace new experiences, learn from the people around her, and grow along the way. Her advice to newcomers applies just as well to those who have spent decades in public service: keep asking questions, stay curious, and never stop learning. Because no matter how much experience we gain or how far we advance, there’s always something new worth discovering.