Commander Maria L. Aguayo was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and raised in Tempe, Ariz. She attended Stanford University and graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering and received a commission in the Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) in June 1993.
Her previous Navy tours include: Assistant Resident Officer in Charge of Construction (AROICC), Rota, Spain; OIC DFT Tandem Thrust, OIC Det Jacksonville and Air Detachment OIC, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion FIVE; CEC Accessions Officer, Norfolk, Va.; Director of Facilities West for Commander, Navy Surface Reserve Force, San Diego, Calif.; Planning Officer, Deputy Public Works Officer and Zone Production Officer, Public Works Center, San Diego, Calif.; Energy and Utility Privatization Action Officer, OPNAV N46 and Commander, Navy Installations Command; Legislative Fellow Program, Office of Legislative Affairs; Legislative Liaison for Navy Base Realignment and Closure Officer; Military Aide to Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Installations and Environment; and Executive Officer, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion FIVE.
Commander Aguayo’s last duty station was Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii where she served as Public Works Officer, Naval Station Pearl Harbor and Assistant Regional Engineer for Navy Region Hawaii.
She holds a Masters of Science Degree in Construction Management from Stanford University and is a licensed Civil Engineer in the State of Arizona. Commander Aguayo is qualified as a Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist and is a member of the Acquisition Professional Community and the Society of American Military Engineers.
Her personal awards include a Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medals (six awards) and the Navy Achievement Medal.