Maria Broz

Maria started her journey with Cottonwood Tucson in 2005 after completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of Arizona. She worked her way up as a patient care facilitator before being promoted to Lead Patient Care Facilitator. In 2008, Maria became a Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Instructor and began training all Cottonwood staff on verbal de-escalation techniques and the power of maintaining calm, grounding energy when working with patients in crisis.

In 2009, Maria was promoted to Milieu Manager of the Sweetwater Adolescent Program at Cottonwood Tucson, where she was mentored by the Director of Nursing for seven years. During her time in the Sweetheart Unit, Maria discovered her passion for management and learned invaluable skills in maintaining a non-reactive and empathetic approach when dealing with challenging adolescents.

After much contemplation, Maria decided to return to nursing school to continue working as a clinical nurse at Cottonwood. After earning her RN license, Maria worked at a Level 1 Trauma Center in the Emergency Department to gain new graduate skills while continuing to work at Cottonwood in a staff development role and as a charge nurse. She has since returned in a full-time capacity as the Director of Nursing. Maria strives to inspire the team and patients through motivational encouragement and compassionate leadership.

During her free time, Maria enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, and spending time with her husband and dogs.