Maria Gifford joined the Anderson University team in the summer of 2023 as assistant marketing director in the Office of Marketing and Communication.

Maria moved to the area from Middlebury, Indiana, where she was the Marketing Manager at the LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau in Shipshewana, IN. Her responsibilities included managing all marketing needs, including collateral and digital design. She maintained brand standards, generated content for print and digital outlets, and maintained the Visit Shipshewana website. She also helped with photography and videography needs and worked on several collaboration projects with community partners. 

Maria is an Adjunct Professor at AU in the Department of Communication & Design Arts. She enjoys keeping her skills sharp and pouring into the next generation of marketing and communication.

Maria earned an undergraduate degree in Fine Art and Graphic Design from Ball State University and later earned her Master’s in Worship Studies from Liberty University. She is an artist, published illustrator, and content creator/owner of My Art Pixie, where she helps other artists learn to play and discover within a thriving art practice. She specializes in watercolor, pen & ink, oil and mixed media. As a published illustrator with 6 children’s books, 2 cover art, and 6 adult coloring books, she has also showcased her fine art in galleries.

Maria and her husband Neil enjoy their blended family with six children. Together they reside in Muncie with three of their six kids and a dog named Simba. With three active teenagers at home, they consume a steady diet of football, basketball, and cross country & track meets and love cheering on their athletes. The older three kids are adulting in northern and central Indiana, but Neil and Maria still cheer them on too.