September 28, 2023
Maria Peek Returns to ASL as Director of Training
We are incredibly pleased to announce the full time return of Maria Peek as our Director of Training!
Dr. Maria Peek holds a BA in Secondary Education from Franklin College (of Indiana), an M.Ed. from Indiana Wesleyan University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Indiana State University. She began her career teaching high school English for six years, and then served 13 years as a Principal and an Assistant Superintendent. She is thrilled to have made the transition to using her training, coaching, and leadership skills here with this amazing team of people!
In her spare time, you can usually find her laughing with family and friends and/or sharing essential oils and their benefits; as a person with chronic illness, they have been a miracle in her life! She also loves to read, especially historical fiction and nonfiction. Her all-time favorite leadership book is Prisoners of our Thoughts, by Alex Pattakos, which focuses on the life and teachings of Viktor Frankl. His lessons on finding meaning in life and work are incredible, and she highly recommends the book for anyone who wants to grow personally and professionally. Fun fact: She is a licensed skydiver and loves everything of that nature, especially roller coasters!
An aspiring author since childhood, Maria received an electric typewriter for Christmas when she was eight. This year, she is making her dream a reality as she is set to release her first book, Always Sunshine Yellow, on Oct. 3. The book, a compilation of poetry, is available for pre-order on all major platforms. One of the most poignant parts of this journey for her is that her son, EJ (18), did the illustrations for the book and delivered exactly what she had envisioned.
She is engaged to Fred, an amazing partner and parent; her “kids” are growing up too quickly—EJ is at Indiana State for his freshman year at the Honors College. Amelia (16) is a Junior, and Mason (14) is in 8th grade; both are three-sport athletes. Fred’s daughter, Tinley, (7), and two older children, Gavin, and Olivia, are a light in her life as well!
She looks forward to further developing a rich, comprehensive training program, and is always open to new ideas, chats about leadership, and learning alongside those she has the joy of training. Maria has been impressed with the managers that have come through training in the past year and hopes to serve all members of the AHEPA and Hellenic teams by providing relevant and dynamic learning opportunities.
Please join us in welcoming Maria back to the organization full time as our Director of Training!