Maria Carabelli is the Office Manager and Finance Coordinator for the Department of Communication. In this position she takes on multiple roles which makes the work she does anything but monotonous. Her day to day functions vary from maintaining financial records for the department organizations and foundation accounts to human resource functions such as contract processing and coordinating our recent move to Horizon Hall.
Carabelli has held several roles within our department since 2003 and claims she isn’t planning to go anywhere because Mason has always felt like home. Her favorite part of her job is the people she works with both in the department and in the college of humanities and social sciences (CHSS). Carabelli stated that “they’re a very caring group of people who not only care about you on a professional level but on a personal level as well.”
One thing that drives Carabelli to work hard everyday is her main professional focus—the students. “Everything I have done in my 17 years has always been because of the students and how we can benefit our students” said Carabelli. This dedication was highlighted in 2016 when she won the Mary Roper Award which honors a staff member who shows outstanding service in support of the core goals of CHSS. To this day, Carabelli works to maintain the level of commitment to the core goals or improving the quality of liberal arts experience for all students, increasing the capacity for noteworthy and innovative scholarship, and creating and strengthening external relationships.
When Carabelli isn’t on the clock she loves spending time with her family, practicing her photography, and cooking for friends and family. Her favorite dishes to make are those traditional to her Italian heritage. These include fish salad, octopus salad, and carbonara. “Anyone who knows me knows I make a mean charcuterie board” said Carabelli.
For students, she advises that they should “stay close to their families, study hard but have fun, and don’t take life too seriously.”
April 23, 2021
