Maria is passionate about working collaboratively to build entrepreneurial communities.  She heads the University of Missouri – Kansas City Innovation Center that supports thousands of community members every year in starting and growing businesses.  Maria has developed a number of new resources for entrepreneurs in the Kansas City region including KCSourceLink, a network of 240+ resources in the region that help small businesses start and grow, Whiteboard2Boardroom,  a program that connects research innovations to entrepreneurs, and Digital Sandbox KC, a proof of concept center.  She leads efforts to make Kansas City America’s most entrepreneurial city.

The successful launch of SourceLink in Kansas City led Meyers and her team to take the network nationwide. From Seattle to San Juan, Maria has partnered with local economic development organizations to turn fragmented small business resources into cohesive and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems that attract startups, accelerate business growth and create jobs. She, along with co-author Kate Pope Hodel, has written about that experience in a new book, Beyond Collisions: How to Build your Entrepreneurial Infrastructure.

Meyers has held a position on the National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board to the U.S.SBA. She received Digital Equipment Corporation’s Circle of Excellence Award and the Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence. She received Missouri Women’s Council Award of Distinction in 2013 from the Governor of the State of Missouri. KCSourceLink won the 2007 Excellence in Economic Development Award for Enhancing Regional Competitiveness from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. She has been consistently ranked one of Kansas City’s 100 most powerful people by the Kansas City Business Journal and serves on the board of directors for MMC Corporation, a nationwide mechanical and construction company.