EDITORS’ NOTE

Maria Montalvo is passionate about empowering others to reach higher. As a member of Corvias’ leadership team, she’s known for collaborating with her colleagues and client partners and inspiring them to give back and make a greater impact. At Corvias Group, Montalvo balances several roles, all of which complement her caring and competitive spirit. As Executive Vice President of Partnership Development Marketing, Montalvo oversees business development efforts and strategic marketing initiatives throughout the sales life cycle. She also serves as the Executive Director of Corvias Foundation, which provides funding to increase access to educational, internship, mentoring, and volunteering opportunities in the communities where Corvias lives and serves.

Company Brief

Corvias Group (corvias.com) is a privately owned company that strives to tackle complex, large-scale challenges through trusted partnerships that put client interests first, producing sustainable long-term solutions by focusing more on performance than profit. The company works on behalf of the U.S. military, and public and private higher education institutions, as well as municipal and state governments to develop tailored solutions for many of the nation’s most challenging infrastructure deficiencies caused by chronic underinvestment. Their mission is to materially improve the lives of the people their projects touch. Corvias Group is headquartered in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

What is Corvias Foundation and why was it started?

Corvias Foundation is a private, family foundation and charitable arm of Corvias Group, and was originally created to help individuals and military families reach their educational goals and pursue their dreams through scholarships and grants. Founded in 2006 by our CEO John Picerne, we work together with students, colleges and universities, military families, and our employees to empower individuals to reach higher and contribute to their communities in a more meaningful way. Over the years, we have grown our areas of focus and have built networks to expand our reach. Because we put a strong emphasis on being part of every community we serve, we not only want to ensure success for our scholars in academic and professional development, but also foster an aspiration to personal, professional, and philanthropic growth. This means not only supporting our scholarship recipients but ensuring they understand it is their mission to reach out into our communities and hold the door for others.

What has the impact been so far?

This past April, we celebrated our 10-year anniversary. Over the past decade, the Foundation has produced $10 million in contributions around the country – directly for scholarships, to community outreach programs, direct donations, and new program development that supports our mission. To date, the Foundation has awarded 348 educational grants and scholarships to spouses and children at 13 different Army and Air Force installations, totaling a combined $6.52 million. Those deeply involved with Corvias Foundation also include 140 colleges and universities, 930 employees, 280 scholars, and 86 partner organizations. It was truly an honor when the Foundation was recognized in 2012 by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden at the White House for our work and deep desire to be of service to military families. I believe it’s the smaller accomplishments that mean more. When our strategic partners or Foundation alumni help someone get a job or internship, or take another step in their career, that one effort can potentially have a huge impact on that person’s life or professional career in the long-term. We can do much more together than we can do alone, and our real mission is to ensure that each and every person whose life we touch understands that they are part of a greater whole.

What inspires you every day in the work that you do for Corvias?

For me, it’s seeing the creation of opportunities for the people and the communities we work in each day. We are always trying to find new ways to give back. What we do at the Foundation isn’t reliant in any way on how much profit the company makes, which is rare. I’ve always been impressed that our CEO never wanted to tie corporate giving in with company profit. Our original military programs taught us that we really want to focus the Foundation’s support on the next generation of leaders that want to work in jobs that serve others. We can and have already found ways to easily translate this to our campus partners and create programs with them that accomplish the same types of goals. The more focused we are on giving back, the more we can push ourselves to do more in the societies we live in.•