Maria Salas-Pilla, LL.M, HMCC, DES, serves as vice president of Conference & Travel Services at the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF), where she leads a talented team of four professionals who bring more than eight conferences to life each year, including NBDF's premier annual Bleeding Disorders Conference.
With over 21 years of experience in large-scale conference and event planning, Maria’s love for this work began in Montreal, Canada. There, she honed her skills by helping organize several major international conferences that welcomed upwards of 15,000 attendees. Between 2005 and 2013, Maria played a vital role on the Congress team at the World Federation of Hemophilia, successfully managing over 28 conferences across 24 countries.
Since joining NBDF in 2015, Maria has transformed the Conference and Travel Services Department into a forward-thinking team skilled at planning and managing in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Maria brings a broad and deep background in building brand experiences through meetings and event management, sales, sponsorships, and events marketing.
Maria holds a Master of Law degree from USM in Caracas, Venezuela, and a Marketing diploma from the Toronto School of Business in Ottawa, Canada. In 2024, she was honored with the NYSAE Meetings Professional of the Year award.