Maya serves as an adviser to the Obama Foundation, working closely with their international team to develop programming in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to her work with the Obama Foundation, she was the director of the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa where, in addition to leading outreach and development initiatives, she also taught leadership for social change, history of peace movements, peace education, and conflict management for educators. She was awarded a master’s degree in secondary education from NYU's College of Education and a PhD in multicultural education from the University of Hawaiʻi. Maya has published a number of book contributions as well as a picture book entitled “Ladder to the Moon,” and is currently under contract to write a young-adult novel entitled “Yellowwood.” Maya sits on many voluntary boards and is the co-founder of the nonprofit Ceeds of Peace, which creates peacebuilding action plan workshops for educators, families and community leaders.