Maria Budet serves as Chief External Affairs Officer for Miami-Dade County's Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), where she leads external affairs including communications, marketing, social media, customer experience, and media relations. Coordinating closely with the Mayor's Office, Board of County Commissioners, and municipal partners, she reports directly to the Director & CEO with a focus on strengthening public trust, enhancing transparency, and advancing Miami-Dade County's vision for mobility, safety, and infrastructure growth.A strategic storyteller with more than 20 years of experience, Maria has built a career at the intersection of brand building, stakeholder engagement, and integrated marketing across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining DTPW, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, the official economic development partnership for the country's sixth-largest metro, where she drove triple-digit growth in brand awareness and contributed to back-to-back years of record-breaking performance. Her work helped attract marquee companies including Citadel, Blackstone, and Kaseya, generating more than $4 billion in recurring annual contributions to Greater Miami's economy.Earlier in her career, Maria held senior leadership roles at Zubi Advertising and CSA Marketing, developing award-winning campaigns for national brands including Dunkin', Walgreens, Nestlé, and Procter & Gamble. A bilingual communicator fluent in English and Spanish, she is a Yale University graduate and an active board member and volunteer across Miami's civic and arts communities.