Maria Matveenko is an International Advisor for Employment-based Visas (H-1Bs and PRs). She has a Bachelor's degree in History from Ivanovo State University, Russia, and two master's degrees in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) / Linguistics and Public Administration from West Virginia University, USA.

Before joining the ISSS team at the University of Minnesota, Maria had been working for five years as a Chief Administrator in the International Relations Office in Ivanovo State Power Engineering University (Ivanovo, Russia) and gained 1-year practical experience of working as an Immigration Specialist at West Virginia University, where she handled the J-1 Waiver, H-1B, and Permanent Residency cases, primarily, for physicians.