Maria Guajardo is Professor Emeritus at Soka University, Japan. Previously, she served as Dean and Vice-President, with the distinction of being the first female and first non-Japanese in leadership roles at Soka University. Her research, teaching, and public speaking connect global leadership, dialogic learning, and value-creating education. Her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion has taken her from Malaysia to Mumbai, and from Singapore to South Africa.

In 2025, she launched her consulting firm: MG Leadership Designs, A Leadership Consultancy. A clinical psychologist, she has degrees from Harvard and the University of Denver and has published the edited book, Global Leadership and Sustainable Futures (Emerald Press, 2025)