Maria Petrey

Maria Petrey is a business analyst for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, where she utilizes her bilingual skills in Spanish. She holds a degree in journalism with a minor in public relations from the University of Florida. Her career path began with public relations work in Atlanta, including internships at Ketchum Public Relations and a role at the State Bar of Georgia. After moving to Birmingham, Alabama, she spent about 10 years in the software industry, working at Nielsen and smaller software companies in support and customer service roles that drew on her language skills. She later obtained software and Microsoft certifications, which helped lead to her current position in healthcare. Outside her full-time role, Maria runs a candle-making business called Bastille Candles, where she hand-pours soy wax candles, sells them at festivals in Alabama and Atlanta, places them in a local Birmingham boutique, and teaches candle-making classes.