Maria Pekarsky is the senior contracts & grants specialist for Child Trends. She is responsible for contractual support to the organization, including pre-award support and developing, negotiating, and administering highly complex and high-risk contracts.

Maria has over 10 years of direct contract management experience, managing all contract types for commercial and federal clients, specifically non-profit research organizations. She is results-oriented and can advise and develop strategies that address business risks and benefits from a contractual and operational perspective. She has a deep knowledge of Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), audit requirements, and conflict of interest matters. She is an articulate negotiator who is strategic and focused on achieving positive results with strong interpersonal, management, and analytical skills honed through professional and academic experience.