Maria Bonneville is the Vice Chair of the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee (ICOC) at CIRM. She serves as the Chair of the Accessibility and Affordability Working Group (AAWG), a group charged with providing recommendations to the ICOC to explore and develop affordability strategies to enhance the accessibility of CIRM-funded treatments and clinical trials, including reimbursement for patient-qualified costs. In addition to her Chair and Vice Chair roles, she leads government relations efforts for the Agency, collaborating with California legislators to keep the public informed about CIRM’s activities, and she participates in all board subcommittees and working groups. Since joining CIRM in 2011, she has held various leadership positions, including Vice President of Board Governance and Public Outreach and Vice President of Administration.
Before her tenure at CIRM, Maria accumulated over a decade of experience in state government, holding multiple key positions. As the Special Assistant to former Treasurer Bill Lockyer at the California State Treasurer’s Office, she represented the Treasurer in matters involving state and local governments, as well as the business community in the Bay Area. Maria also served as the Northern California Finance Director for the Lockyer Committee, managing major fundraising programs during the California Attorney General re-election campaign. Additionally, she brings extensive expertise in product development, marketing, and public relations.
Maria received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Sciences from the University of California Berkeley. She serves on the Moving Day Planning Committee of the Parkinson’s Foundation in San Francisco.