María Luque-Larena holds a degree in Spanish Philology from the University of Barcelona (Spain), an MBA in Cultural Management from the University of Salamanca (Spain) and a master’s degree in North American Studies from the University of Alcalá (Spain). She has recently begun her PhD, focusing on the public diplomacy tools (with special interest on the cultural ones) that have influenced the relationship between Spain and the US (1975-2020).

In 2014, she began her career as a Project Assistant at the Fundación Consejo España – EE. UU. a private, nonprofit organization formed by large corporations, cultural and academic institutions, and government officials. The organization was created in 1997 to strengthen the ties between Spain and the United States in all areas and foster better mutual understanding and awareness. Since its inception, it has shared this public diplomacy mission with its U.S. counterpart, the United States – Spain Council.

In 2017, María started her role as a Director for Cultural Affairs. During these years, she has been mainly focused on two major exhibitions: Designing America. Spain's Imprint in the US, where she led the project to its fourth venue in the US and, since 2019, María assumed the leadership of the exhibition Invisible Emigrants: Spaniards in the United States (1868 - 1945), an ongoing project that will inaugurate its 2nd venue in 2021.

Previously, she has worked in the fields of university education and migration processes, as well as the non-profit sector. A convinced Europeanist, María is tightly bound to the United States, a country she admires, especially, the power of its civil society and its philanthropic references. Her passion for culture, politics, and international affairs are the substrate of all her academic training and subsequent professional specialization.