In 2018, after a decade as Yale’s director of emergency management, Maria Bouffard left the university to work for the American Red Cross. But after several difficult, soul-wrenching deployments, she decided to transition out of disaster and emergency response and return to Yale as the assistant director of operations (ADO) at Benjamin Franklin College. She is thrilled to be back at Yale and working with students.
Talk about your training and early career.
After I graduated from Emerson College, I joined AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). Our first project was in Oklahoma City; it was after the 1995 bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The building had been demolished, but there was a fence around it, and we were tasked with archiving items left on the fence. That’s when I first encountered members of the American Red Cross and realized I wanted to be part of that organization.
Over the next decade, I worked for the Red Cross. At first, I supported disaster relief efforts in Northeast Connecticut. I later transferred to Houston, where I did disaster relief and response operations supporting the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. It was an excellent place to get lots of emergency management experience because there is so much severe weather activity in those states. It was exciting, interesting, and fast-paced. I’m still close to my team and boss from that time.
What brought you to Yale in the first place, and what brought you back a second time?
My husband Luc was born and raised in Connecticut, and we wanted to come back home. I had worked here, and it was where we met. We love New England, and (smiles) there are fewer hurricanes here! Yale had an opening for a director of emergency management, so I applied and, as luck would have it, got hired. We moved back here, and we haven’t looked back. It was a good decision for both of us.
Just before coming back to work for Yale for the second time in 2022, I had been working at the Red Cross, which was my first love. But after a few deployments during the COVID-19 pandemic, welcoming undocumented minors at the Texas/Mexico border and then welcoming refugees from Afghanistan in New Mexico, I came back exhausted and drained. I took stock of my career and realized it was time to transition out of emergency management. I had worked with many of the operations managers (now called ADOs) when I was Yale’s director of emergency management, and thought it was great that they worked so closely with students. So, I applied for the ADO job when it opened, and I absolutely love what I’m doing.
How would you describe your current role?
I’m responsible for many aspects of life at Benjamin Franklin College, –including building management, special projects, budgeting, student well-being, and community programming. I work closely with Yale Facilities, Custodial Services, and Hospitality, and we have a great administrative team here at the college. We meet regularly with Jordan Peccia, the Head of College, to ensure we have programs and events that support and enrich our students while they live here. This is their home for four years, so we want to make it as fun, comfortable, and safe for them as possible. It takes a team to run a college, and we have a terrific, caring group of people here who are concerned about the students’ well-being.
We started a bike shop and bicycle-sharing program that is extraordinarily popular. One of our fellows supervises the shop and teaches the students how to fix their bikes. Our three shared bikes are booked about 80% of the time. We also have an in-house student-run coffee shop called the “Beanjamin.”
What is your favorite part about working at Yale?
The students! They are so engaging, curious, and happy to be here. They bring so much life to this place, and it is a pleasure to interact with them daily. Many of them come to my office. I have a Scrabble board on my desk, they will play a word and chat for a little bit. Also, the team here at Ben Franklin College is an incredible group of people; it’s a great working environment. I also love other college ADOs. They are so supportive, helpful, and caring. I always thought I would do emergency management or disaster relief until I retired. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d do this and enjoy it so much.
What would you say to someone who is looking for a career in your field?
Start by talking to someone who works as an ADO. It’s a boots-on-the-ground kind of job, with lots of logistics, strategic work, and budget management. You are working closely with the students to stand up programs or fix an issue they may be having. Also, you have close interactions with a whole team of people to keep the college running–keeping the lights on and the doors open; students moving in; supporting them while they live here; and, students moving out. Every day is different, and if you don’t mind going with whatever is happening or needs to be done, this is a great job. You’ll never get bored. I’m having a blast.
