It’s hard to make a list of the top influential Latinas in politics and government in America without naming Maria Teresa Kumar, a woman who believes Latinos are the “new builders” and “makers” of America. As President and CEO of Voto Latino, a civic media organization that prides itself on its agenda of transforming the United States by heeding what she considers “innate Latino leadership,” Teresa has been able to see the increased turnout of Latino voters in the battleground states. during the 2008 presidential election.

Beyond that, there is definitely more to know about who the woman is, let’s take a look at her biography while focusing on her husband and other interesting facts about her life.

Biography of Maria Teresa Kumar

Although Maria Teresa Kumar now resides in Washington DC, she is originally from Sonoma, California. Although we have not yet confirmed her exact date of birth, there is reason to believe that she was born in 1974 in Bogota, Colombia. Maria spent most of her childhood days in California as it was there that she was raised by her parents – a Colombian mother and an American father in a bicultural household that massively influenced the woman she became. .

Lady Kumar prides herself on being a proud immigrant girl. As the story goes, her father moved his family to the United States of America when she was just four years old; Maria and her mother became citizens of the country by naturalization five years later. Even though the details of her education are hard to find, we can say that she received her first formal education in a Catholic school. Many years later (in 1992), Maria became a student at the University of California, Davis (UCDAVIS) where she eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Business, Economics in 1996. She then went to Harvard Kennedy School in 1999 and earned a Master of Public Policy (MPP) in Business and Technology from the institution in 2001.

During this time, she served as Senior Legislator Aide in the United States House of Representatives after graduating from UCDAVIS, this lasted from August 1997 to August 1999. When she finished with the Kennedy School, she is moved to The Advisory Board Company where she worked as Associate Director from January 2002 to January. 2003. The following month (February 2003), she became regional director of LawMedia until November 2004, when she became founding president and CEO of Voto Latino.

That’s not all there is to know about Maria’s Teresa Kumar career. She is repeatedly recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and many people probably knew her from her time in the media with MSNBC which earned her an Emmy nomination. Kumar has been a political commentator for the outlet since 2009. From January 2015 to February 2016, she also hosted the establishment’s online show, Changing America on msnbc.com.

Apart from the Emmy nomination she earned, Maria’s career achievements have earned her many other prestigious accolades and accolades over the years. Just as she’s a recipient of the Legacy Award and the Transforming America Award, you’ll find Maria named to a handful of coveted lists like 20 Most Influential Latinos Under 40, Ten Most Powerful Women in America, 100 Most Powerful Hispanics in Business. influential, and many more.

Her husband

It’s no secret that Voto Latino’s founding CEO was the wife of Raj Kumar – the co-founder and chairman of Devex, an outlet often described as a media platform for the global community. of development. The man has been associated with various establishments and is considered an expert in foreign aid policy. He graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and also attended Harvard Kennedy School like his wife.

Although the New Jersey native now lives in Washington, DC with his wife, it is said that he spent part of his childhood in Kerala, India and his work took him to 50 countries. Maria Teresa Kumar and her husband welcomed their first child in 2012 and named her Lucia Mercedes Kumar. The second, Eduardo came a few years later.

Other interesting facts about Maria Teresa

1. Maria is a multilingual career woman, she is fluent in English, French and Spanish.

2. She hopes Voto Latino will play an important role in the emergence of the first Latin American president of the United States.

3. She has been linked to many organizations including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Council on Foreign Relations, Aspen Institute Task Force on Learning and the Internet, Emily’s List, etc.