Maria Valero Richards
About Maria Valero Richards
Maria Valero Richards is a Manager of Global Project Management Strategy and Standards at Kennametal, with extensive experience in process standardization and improvement. She has held various engineering and project management roles at Westinghouse Electric Company and Coventry Health Care, and she holds a PMI Professional in Business Analysis certification.
Current Role at Kennametal
Maria Valero Richards serves as the Manager of Global Project Management Strategy and Standards at Kennametal. She has held this position since 2019, contributing to the company's project management initiatives in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. In her role, she focuses on developing and implementing strategies that enhance project management practices across the organization.
Experience at Westinghouse Electric Company
Maria Valero Richards has extensive experience at Westinghouse Electric Company, where she has worked in various capacities since 2011. Currently, she is the Global Project Excellence Operational Process Lead and Principal Engineer, a position she has held since 2015. Previously, she was the Requirements Management Lead - Contractor and Senior Engineer from 2011 to 2014, and later served as the Requirements Management Process and Training Lead - Senior Engineer from 2014 to 2015.
Education and Qualifications
Maria Valero Richards earned her degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she studied Economics and Management. She achieved a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from 2000 to 2004. Additionally, she holds a PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) certification, which underscores her expertise in business analysis.
Previous Work Experience
Prior to her current roles, Maria Valero Richards worked at Coventry Health Care as an IT Project Manager from 2005 to 2011. She also completed internships at State Farm in 2003 and FedEx Services in 2004. Her diverse work experience has contributed to her strong background in managing virtual project teams and change management.
Specializations and Expertise
Maria Valero Richards specializes in process standardization, improvement, and implementation. Her expertise contributes to enhanced operational efficiency within organizations. She is skilled in managing virtual project teams, ensuring effective collaboration and communication across different locations, and facilitating smooth transitions during the adoption of new processes.