Catching Up with Theresa Maida ’97

Like a true Montessori student, Theresa Maida ’97, isn’t afraid to try something new and go in a different direction.

Maida was an Arts History major and Spanish and Literature minor at Tulane University before pursuing a career in interior design in the greater New York City area. She even earned a certificate in interior design from the Parsons School of Design – The New School.

Then, she made a soft left in her career.

“I realized quickly that I enjoyed managing and executing projects more than the design part of the job,” said Maida, who transitioned to a project manager of web designers at Anthropologie.

Then, Maida made yet another change in the trajectory of her career.

“After a while, I again realized that I was most interested in how the software was being built,” said Maida. “So I combined both of those interests into the career I have today.”

Maida is currently the Senior Director in Product Management at Comcast.

“I own the customer onboarding experience in the Xfinity app focused on the self-activation of the Xfinity internet service,” said Maida. “I combine the business and customer needs to determine what we should build and improve upon, then work with our engineering team to make it happen.”

Maida started out at NFA in the Carriage House and participated in a number of clubs and athletic teams along the way, including the oratory club, drama club, field hockey, and softball. One memory that stands out for Maida is Wrangler Ranch, a fun drama show she participated in during eighth grade.

“It was so silly and Mr. Clements, our leader, was amazing,” said Maida. “He cared, he was kind, and he was fun. He treated us exactly how we hoped to be treated — like kids who were close to adulthood, but not quite there yet.”

Per the school’s Student Vision Statement, the NFA student is one who enjoys learning, treasures self, others, and the Earth, lives gospel values, and makes reflective choices as a self-directed person.

“It resonates loudly with me!” noted Maida. “One of my favorite memories is being in Sister Joan’s Montessori class and realizing that I could read almost as much as I wanted every day. We were afforded that liberty and I took full advantage. My love of learning started there. Norwood taught me, and is still in my head reminding me, to be a good person and think of others, and the Earth, and how they would want to be treated. My empathy was cultivated at Norwood.

“NFA is and was my entire foundation for how to be a good person, how to care for others, and how to create lasting friendships that I have to this day,” added Maida.