Her Story
About Maura
Maura Webb is Chief of Staff at the law school in Little Rock, Arkansas, the first to hold this position at the institution. She earned a bachelor's degree in English and began her career with substitute teaching before moving into restaurant management roles. After relocating to Truckee in Northern California, she served as a patient care coordinator and practice manager at a holistic doctor's office. Returning to Little Rock to be near family, she joined the law school as executive assistant to the dean, and within a year and a half her responsibilities expanded to create the Chief of Staff role. In this position she supports the dean on strategic goals through leadership, operations, and relationship management, assisting with development and alumni initiatives, serving as the primary contact for the alumni board, and handling event planning. She pursues involvement in the community through attending events and meetings such as Rotary and Downtown Little Rock Partnership.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maura
01What do you attribute your success to?
A combination of external investments and internal drive. I've been incredibly fortunate to have mentors, leaders, and peers who believed in my potential, advocated for me, and opened doors. But doors only matter if you're ready to walk through them and work to keep your place. I also attribute my success to my work ethic. I've really kept my nose to the grindstone, and have never been a passive bystander in my growth. I've always been resourceful in making the most the people, opportunities, and resources around me. As Chief of Staff, I bring that same approach to my work today -- helping translate the leadership team's vision into action, aligning resources and people around shared priorities, and driving progress toward our goals.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
This is a mantra from my sister, that I believe holds true in life and in career: "Team work makes the dream work." Meaningful success is rarely achieved alone. It speaks to the power of bringing people together with different strengths, perspectives, skills, and experiences and aligning them around a shared purpose. The collective result can be far greater than what any one person could accomplish individually.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't wait to be invited to the table. Build a business case for why you belong there. Drop in on your core strengths and be resourceful, actively seeking out opportunities rather than waiting for permission, and then let your execution be your armor. Early in my career, I was working in hospitality and management. Those experiences taught me more about people, service, and problem-solving than I realized at the time. But I also knew I wanted to grow into a different kind of role -- to help shape the conversations and decisions that move an organization forward. I wanted a seat at the table. So I invested in myself, created opportunities, and found a way.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
An opportunity in this role is to move beyond traditional administrative support and become a strategic contributor for institutional alignment, engagement and growth. In my role, I am uniquely positioned at the intersection of administration, alumni relations, fundraising, and community engagement.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity and genuine connection, I feel like, are the foundation. They earn trust, and once you have trust, you gain the leverage to drive execution and ultimately build something that outlasts you.
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