Maria Mullan-Ripley joined the Sun Devil Club in May 2021 as Director of Major Gifts and has since been promoted to Assistant Athletic Director–Senior Director.
In her leadership role, she advances philanthropic support for Sun Devil Athletics through strategic fundraising, operational oversight, and donor engagement. Maria provides day-to-day leadership for the Sun Devil Club's operations and major gifts while cultivating strong relationships with alumni, donors, and key stakeholders. Her work helps generate critical resources that support the success of Sun Devil Athletics and its student-athletes.
Prior to Arizona State University, Maria served as Assistant Director and later Associate Director of Development for Purdue Athletics from 2018 to 2021. During her tenure, Purdue achieved record fundraising results, and she led the department’s Purdue Day of Giving efforts while managing a major gift portfolio.
Before Purdue, she served as Development Coordinator for the Spartan Fund and Recruiting Assistant for the football program at her alma mater, Michigan State University.
Known for building meaningful relationships and impactful philanthropic partnerships, Maria brings experience across development, recruiting, and operations. Her collaborative leadership style emphasizes service, communication, and engagement in support of student-athletes and athletic programs.
A native of East Lansing, Michigan, Maria spent portions of her childhood living in Dubai, Greece, and the United Kingdom. She is fluent in Modern Greek and conversational in French and Arabic.
Maria earned bachelor’s degrees in international relations and psychology from Michigan State University, with minor specializations in Arabic and political economy.