Maria Iturriaga Promoted to Senior Vice President, International Learning Environments and Executive Director, Berklee Valencia

Dear members of the Berklee community,

I’m very excited to announce the promotion of María Iturriaga to senior vice president, international learning environments, and executive director, Berklee Valencia. 

As senior vice president of international learning environments, María will be responsible for the ongoing strategic development of Berklee’s international educational offerings, with an initial focus on Eastern Europe and Latin America. In addition, she will continue her successful leadership of the Valencia campus as executive director. 

María began her new role as senior vice president on September 1, with a charge to drive new enterprises and endeavors that serve both the broader Berklee community and the regional communities where these efforts will be underway. Additionally, she will work to differentiate new programs and offerings in ways that are enhanced by the work of local artists and arts organizations. These initiatives may include new academic and industry partnerships; partnerships with community and civic organizations to foster regional educational opportunities and cultural exchange; and new facilities and campuses that support program offerings that are differentiated from and complementary to programs in Boston, New York City, and elsewhere. María will also oversee the Berklee Abu Dhabi Center, including strategic assessment of existing programs and the development of new programs and partnerships focused on the Middle East and India. 

As senior vice president, María will report directly to me. As executive director of Berklee Valencia, she will maintain a dual line of reporting to Berklee’s chief academic officer, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Larry Simpson. 

In her 13 years of dedicated service to Berklee, which include serving as executive director of the Valencia campus since 2016, María has played a leading role in defining academic, enrollment, and institutional strategies for Berklee abroad. She developed and implemented the enrollment strategy for the first graduate programs offered at Berklee, created the International Career Center, and launched academic programs such as First Year Abroad, among other initiatives. Recently, María led the negotiations that resulted in an agreement for Berklee to remain at Valencia’s iconic City of Arts and Sciences for an additional 40 years.

Under María’s outstanding leadership, the Valencia campus has served more than 3,000 students hailing from 70 countries, and fostered an international team of over 100 staff and faculty from more than 20 countries. During her time at Berklee, the Valencia campus has pioneered new programs and initiatives such as the Global Career Summit and the Boston Conservatory Opera Intensive, and has developed educational and artistic collaborations with local and international institutions such as the United Nations, the Association of European Conservatories, MIDEM, the Palau de les Arts, and the Escuela Superior Reina Sofía. 

A staunch supporter of equity in the arts, María also supported the launch of initiatives to empower women in the music industry, including the Women and Conducting Symposium, Berklee Valencia's chapter of Women in Music, the Women's Empower Symposium, and She Knows Tech.

María holds a master’s degree in performing arts administration from New York University, a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música in Madrid. Prior to coming to Berklee, she worked with AEA Consulting in New York, and in external affairs and as a music agent on projects in the U.S., U.K., and Spain.

Please join me in congratulating María on this very well-deserved promotion.

Erica Muhl, President
Berklee