Maria Dickson Parigi
Search Director
The newest member of the Peña Search team, Maria Dickson Parigi began her recruiting career in 1997 with a boutique legal search firm, and she now combines that experience with her passion for service in the nonprofit sector.
Maria’s current and former community involvement includes serving on the boards of Wesley Prep, Christ the King Altar Society, and the Dallas Tri Delta Alumnae Chapter and the parent councils of Christ the King School and the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. At Ursuline Academy of Dallas, Maria continues to be an active volunteer and has led major fundraising initiatives. She has volunteered at Uplift Williams Preparatory, Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep, the Rise School of Dallas, Jonathan’s Place, Attitudes & Attires, the National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater, Texas and Women for Orphan’s Worldwide in Guatemala. Finally, with roots deeply planted on a family ranch in West Texas, for over a decade, Maria has been a volunteer for Kids on the Land, a unique environmental program held throughout the state of Texas and designed to teach children about the ecoregion where they live, connecting them to the land and a more sustainable future.
From West Texas, Maria attended The University of Texas where she earned her undergraduate degree then Baylor Law School for a juris doctorate. After practicing law for a large, national firm where she was exposed to recruiting on the Recruitment Committee, she moved into recruiting as a career and has not looked back. She values greatly the relationships she has made with clients and candidates alike as well as with nonprofits she has served in various capacities over the years.