Maria Peña is an award-winning bilingual-bicultural journalist and media professional with extensive experience in broadcast television, creative services, news, and communications. Since 2021, she has served as a Producer and Media Programming Specialist for the City and County of San Francisco’s Department of Technology, where she creates programming for SFGovTV and leads social media strategy for the city's official platforms. She is also a freelance Digital Producer for KQED En Español, contributing to Northern California’s public media affiliate KQED.

Previously, Maria was a Content News Producer for Telemundo 48’s Noticiero 48, a News Producer for KTVU Fox 2’s Mornings on Two, and an Executive Producer at Univision 14. At Univision, she led Al Despertar/Despierta Área de la Bahía, the Bay Area’s only live Spanish-language morning news and lifestyle program, transforming it into a vital source of information for the Latino community.

With a proven track record in a top 10 media market, Maria has produced hundreds of hours of television, developed sponsorship campaigns, and created high-impact programming and social media content that significantly increased audience engagement.

She is a four-time Emmy Award nominee for excellence in cultural and public affairs programming, breaking news, content production, and videography. Her work has also earned multiple SCAN-Natoa government programming awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award.

Maria earned a Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television from San Francisco State University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits.