Influential Woman · Disability Advocacy, Assistive Technology, Mobility Solutions, and Fundraising
Maria Odenkirk
Founder and President, Mobility Queen LLC
Oro Valley, AZ 85755
Her Story
About Maria
Maria Odenkirk is the founder and president of The Mobility Queen Network, operated through Mobility Queen LLC, where she works to improve mobility, accessibility, and quality of life for people with disabilities. Drawing on approximately 20 years of experience in buying and product development, she previously helped develop products for major retailers, including Target, Walmart, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Following a stroke in 2018 that resulted in partial paralysis, Maria redirected her professional experience toward disability advocacy and assistive technology. She now connects companies, innovators, and the disability community to help advance practical solutions that support independence and make everyday activities easier.
Through The Mobility Queen Network, Maria collaborates with organizations developing innovative mobility products, assistive robotics, and accessibility solutions. Her work has included testing and providing feedback on emerging technologies with companies such as Prosperous Robotics and Skip, helping ensure that products are informed by real-world user experiences. She is also involved with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where she participates in equipment testing and supports fundraising initiatives, including the SkyRise Chicago tower-climb event. By combining her product development background with her lived experience as a stroke survivor, Maria offers a valuable perspective on how technology can address the needs of people with mobility challenges, their caregivers, and their families.
Maria's mission extends beyond individual products to changing how society understands disability. Through advocacy, partnerships, and community engagement, she works to promote inclusion, raise awareness, and encourage innovations that allow people to participate more fully in daily life. She believes success comes from professional ability, a positive attitude, and self-motivation, and she encourages others to take risks, embrace challenges, and use their strengths to create meaningful change. Through The Mobility Queen Network and her collaborations with rehabilitation and technology organizations, Maria continues to champion a future in which ability, accessibility, and independence take precedence over limitations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my abilities, attitude, and self-motivation. My background in buying and product development has given me valuable skills that I can now apply to improving mobility and accessibility for others. My experience as a stroke survivor has also given me a personal understanding of the challenges people with disabilities face. By combining my professional knowledge with determination and a positive attitude, I can help develop and promote solutions that make a meaningful difference in people's lives.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have received is not to be afraid to take risks or pursue challenging new opportunities. Being willing to step outside my comfort zone and take on unfamiliar responsibilities helped me advance more quickly in my career. I believe growth often comes from embracing new challenges, trusting your abilities, and remaining open to opportunities that allow you to learn and develop.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I encourage young women to enter their fields with confidence in what they know and the skills they bring. Recognize your strengths, continue learning, and do not be afraid to take on challenges. Find joy in the small things along the way, and identify tools, techniques, and support systems that help you navigate obstacles. In disability advocacy and mobility innovation, combining professional expertise with empathy and an understanding of people's real needs can help create solutions that make a lasting difference.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges is raising awareness of the needs of stroke survivors and people experiencing mobility limitations. Stroke survivors represent a significant community whose ongoing rehabilitation, accessibility, and support needs deserve greater visibility. At the same time, there are exciting opportunities to advance assistive technology through robotics, innovative mobility devices, and products that help people maintain greater independence. I am also concerned about the growing number of older adults experiencing mobility challenges, including injuries associated with activities such as pickleball. Through partnerships with technology companies and rehabilitation organizations, I hope to help improve solutions, expand awareness, and make mobility support more accessible.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Making a meaningful difference in people's lives is more important to me now than the decorative products I worked on earlier in my career. I value innovation, inclusion, empathy, perseverance, and helping others maintain their independence and dignity. My own experience with partial paralysis has strengthened my commitment to understanding the needs of people with disabilities and the caregivers and families who support them. I want my work to contribute to practical improvements in people's everyday lives and help shift society's perspective from disability toward ability and possibility.
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