White House Fellow
Department of Homeland Security – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Lieutenant
Police New York City Police Department (NYPD)
Maria Gilbert hailing from Brooklyn, New York, currently serves as a White House Fellow at the Department of Homeland Security – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. For over 17 years, she served in the New York City Police Department (NYPD), where she is now a Lieutenant. Gilbert is responsible for evaluating programs and policies that govern over 50,000 staff members and for all organizational changes. She merges her skills gained from both operational and administrative assignments with her compassion, empathy, and dedication to equitable justice to effectively communicate with others from all walks of life in addressing their needs. Her commitment to the community at large is evidenced in her volunteer work as a peer support member for the NYPD, providing critical mental health resources to employees in need.
Additionally, Gilbert founded Beads of Hope Incorporated, a nonprofit organization focused on cancer awareness, prevention, and finding a cure while emphasizing the mental well-being of those affected by cancer. As a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Gilbert has been blazing trails since her undergraduate days, becoming one of the first black women to graduate from SUNY New Paltz with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. She later earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was the first black woman to receive a full scholarship from the NYPD towards this degree. She leverages her skills and enthusiasm for supporting people to merge technology with policy to keep her neighbors safe. However, her most significant achievement is being the mother of her 19-month son, Mason.
