STRATEGIC. INNOVATIVE. RESULTS-DRIVEN
I’m Dr. Maria Schwartz — a strategic innovator and executive business coach with a passion for elevating organizations through brand enhancement, user-centric design, and impactful partnerships. Welcome to my online space, where you’ll learn how I fuse creative problem-solving with data-driven strategies to drive unprecedented growth.
As an experienced C-level professional I’m passionate about developing global brands, optimizing user experiences, and leading corporate transformations. Over the past 15+ years, I’ve helped businesses—from startups to Fortune 500s—achieve lasting success by identifying key market opportunities, streamlining digital ecosystems, and cultivating high-performing teams.
MISSION
My mission is to increase survival rates of globalizing businesses and accelerate innovation and well-being worldwide by growing the use of imagination and Surreabstract creativity.
Vivid Connect works with businesses at various growth stages, helping them create luxury, upscale branding, strengthen communications, and forge key partnerships to boost productivity, streamline operations, and achieve unprecedented growth. We do this by:
- Leveraging the right connections and resource networks,
- Applying market analysis, research, and data to identify global opportunities for products/services, and
- Providing personalized consulting and branding solutions that align with each client’s unique needs.
Masha Schwartz Art collaborates with emerging Surreabstract creatives and entrepreneurs who seek to build profitable art ventures, as well as art investors and businesses looking to enrich their collections or commercial spaces with artwork that sparks conversation, elevates mood, and nurtures well-being. Because Surreabstract Creativity will drive the future of work, we invite you to Join the movement now.
" Creativity is my life force. Massive creativity drives innovation.
Be Creative, Nothing Else Pays" ~ Dr. Schwartz
KEY LEADERSHIP TRAITS
Visionary Problem-Solver: I tackle complex business challenges, connecting the dots between brand strategy, digital transformation, and operational excellence.
Transformational Leader: I foster collaborative cultures that inspire innovation and drive measurable outcomes.
Data-Driven Researcher: Rooted in my doctoral studies, I utilize quantitative and qualitative data to shape informed strategies that amplify growth.
Global Perspective: As a trilingual communicator, I navigate diverse markets and facilitate international expansion for a worldwide impact.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE
Co-Founder/Chief Operations Officer
RESIDENCIAL REAL ESTATE FUND: Specializing in pop-top and modular projects to deliver multigenerational homes, targeting 4x returns for investment partners.
- Addressed credibility challenges by creating a cohesive brand identity and recruiting a high-caliber board of advisors, boosting the company’s capital-raising capacity.
- Ensured balanced risk and strong ROI by developing a 10-year financial forecast model projecting 20–25% IRR, providing a sustainable blueprint for fund growth.
- Strengthened operational readiness by vetting and selecting key vendors (legal, investor relations, construction partners), laying the foundation for post-capital-raise operations.
- Maintained regulatory compliance by researching SEC guidelines, drafting essential legal documents, and applying for interim grants, securing continuous operations until funding
- Created awareness of our solutions for multi-generational families in the DC metro area to make a positive impact, contributing to the well-being of the families, strengthening communities, and helping solve the housing inventory crisis.
PROLIFIC.CAPITAL
JULY 2023 - PRESENT
President/ Co-Founder
S.W.A.T. Trading emerged in response to recession and many people struggling during the COVID pandemic. It is a rapidly growing company that helps beginner traders and investors achieve even more success in the stock market, crypto and other investment areas. S.W.A.T. stands for Strong Warriors Attacking Trading, and the culture of S.W.A.T. is very casual making it relatable to the average person, yet action driven for success.
- Scaled globally by launching live trading courses in India, Europe, and beyond, expanding brand visibility and market reach.
- Optimized community engagement with evergreen courses, affiliate memberships, and a dedicated Discord channel, driving consistent subscriber growth.
- Broadened revenue streams by introducing Spanish- language courses, capturing additional international markets in 2023
- Improved trader profitability by addressing inconsistent results with proven strategies, enabling members to earn 10–50% average monthly returns.
- Achieved exponential growth by refining trading techniques and risk management, increasing capital from $54K to $600K in just six months (Aug 2020–Mar 2021).
S.W.A.T. TRADING INC
JULY 2020 - PRESENT
President/Founder
Vivid Connect is a high profile global branding, business coaching, and personal development firm, transforming entrepreneurs and small businesses into profitable ventures.
- Created a ground-breaking infrastructure model to strengthen Drexel University’s online learning management system (LMS) by conducting an in-depth environmental scan and analysis of current Drexel student tools (LMS, Salesforce, etc), short and long term digital ecosystem projections, and the best digital solutions such as Amazon Web Services (AWS).
- Elevated online course experience by collaborating on Drexel’s award-winning “Test Drive” project, significantly improving course enrollment and user satisfaction.
- Expanded client base by 130% in 2019 through targeted branding, productivity tools, and strategic partnerships, driving sustainable revenue growth.
- Improved operational efficiency by 25% in 2024 via a new system infrastructure, positioning the company for further expansion in 2025.
VIVID CONNECT INC
FEB 2016 - PRESENT
President/Founder
Masha Schwartz Art is a worldwide leader in Surreabstract art. As an innovative, forward thinking organization, Masha Schwartz Art is focused on increasing the use of creativity and imagination worldwide by changing the view of art across generations and by growing awareness of imagination and creativity scarcity in our society. Masha Schwartz art offers the best art solutions to elevate businesses, rentals, hotels, restaurants and homes - adding positive energy to the atmosphere, increase visitors creativity, and spurring positive conversations among clients and other visitors.
- Pioneered Surreabstract Art to counter conventional artistic norms, shaping public perception of creativity and fostering innovation worldwide.
- Currently developing the Imagiwave Metaverse - the leading provider of high-quality collaboration and creativity spaces for artists, musicians and other creatives. We help emerging artists from different disciplines overcome the challenges of growing their brand by building a fan base through creative collaborations.
- Since 2001 Masha Schwartz Art has worked with nonprofit organizations including Hands on DC, SOME and others to help enrich schools and homeless shelters with educational murals. This has been an ongoing effort to educate and inspire our future entrepreneurs and business owners.
MASHA SCHWARTZ ART
SEPTEMBER 2016 - PRESENT
Executive Information and Technology (IT) Chair
- Modernized digital presence by redesigning the website to a responsive format and improving internal data management, boosting volunteer engagement
- Expanded fundraising avenues through a Giving Tuesday campaign, elevating the organization’s global visibility and recurring donor base.
HANDS ON DC (HODC)
NOVEMBER 2016 - NOVEMBER 2018
D.M., DOCTOR OF MANAGEMENT
Successfully completed the Doctor of Management Program with a key focus on global expansion of small businesses and factors contributing to successsful and failing globalization. Relevant Coursework: Innovation process and strategy; Global business; Macroeconomic changes and entrepreneurial growth; Strategies for prevention of small business failure; Small business entry and corporate expansion into the BRICS countries; International cultural challenges and business relations; Statistical analysis and research methods; Entrepreneurial orientation, Intellectual property management, Leadership enterprise change, and Change management.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, UMUC
SEP 2010 - MAY 2016
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL(PMP)
Project Management Professional Certification
PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE, MD | PMP NUMBER: 1848231
SEP 2015
Associate Director of Digital User Experience
Led all phases of program and product developments from inception to completion for new online learning infrastructure using Agile methodology. Assisted in staffing, training and managing the Digital User Experience team. Identified and administered policies, standards, and procedures to ensure high quality efficiency and productivity of staff performance.
- Enhanced user interaction by spearheading a multi-phase digital portal launch via Scrum, optimizing data tracking and platform engagement (2013–2016).
- Secured $36M in projected revenue by developing a retention tool that significantly reduced student dropout rates.
- Advised executive management during organizational restructuring on top 8 challenges experienced by university, underlying technical issues and made recommendations for new organizational structure that was partially implemented.
- Improved learning systems by evaluating and implementing a new LMS, streamlining academic operations and user adoption.
UNIVERSITY OF MD UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (UMUC)
OCT 2011 - APR 2016
Overseas Asia Technical Coordinator
- Helped develop and implement a competitive advantage tool, recognized by Education Advisory Board as a winning strategic differentiator in online learning and by New York Times as an important veteran’s resource.
- Advised a university-wide communication initiative that improved efficiency among on-site and remote teams, earning an award for exceptional contributions to the GROW 999 project.
- Managed 200+ volunteers, increasing the volunteer base by 55% through recruitment and community-building, and orchestrated weekly virtual events with up to 1,000 participants, generating $117M in annual revenue potential.
UNIVERSITY OF MD UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (UMUC)
JUN 2009 - OCT 2011
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)
Relevant Coursework:Strategic enterprise management and alignment; Sustainable customer relationships; Resource optimization; Enterprise risk; Human capital development; Transformational leadership; Maximizing shareholder wealth; Finance and Accounting management; Competitive advantage and Managerial decision making.
UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX
DEC 2005 - MAY 2008
B.S., BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
Relevant Coursework: Graphic design I & II; Exhibit design; Design for the www; Typography; Package design; 3D design; Interactive media theory and application; Digital illustration; Data structures and algorithm analysis; Data communications and networking; Operating systems; Object-oriented design & programming; Database management systems. Awards: Art Honor Society Award; Academic Excellence Certificates
TOWSON STATE UNIVERSITY, MARYLAND
SEP 2000 - MAY 2004
CORE EXPERTISE & CONSULTING SERVICES
Strategic & Business Planning
Recruitment & Team Building
Transformational Leadership Coaching
Branding & Marketing Elevation
Change Management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Corporate Partnerships & Global Expansion
Innovative Problem Solving
Enterprise Learning Solutions
Digital Platform Enhancement (UX/UI)
Data Analysis & Research
AI Systems Automation
Maria has done an excellent job providing leadership for the team over the last year. She fostered a warm and welcoming environment for our staff during much uncertainty. Maria encouraged and challenged the team to reach beyond their comfort zone and try new tasks and learn new skills.
The information and the details that Maria was able to give to me for my social media presence was a huge help. She was very thorough and detailed on all her assessments of my website, Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter accounts that it as really turned how I interact with my customers around. I highly recommend her to any and all small business owners.
I highly recommend Maria for your branding needs. I was so pleased with the easy process that honed in on integrating my vision with the final product. Maria was able to turn around a design quickly and efficiently. She presented several options and worked with me to integrate aspects that I liked from each into a cohesive final product that I am proud to show as my business logo.
I've been working with Dr. Schwartz since the Covid pandemic and it has helped me restructure Taco Talks TV business to be more productive on daily basis and profitable. It has also boosted my own abilities as a CEO in leading my team effectively and helping each team member become independent in taking ownership of projects and self motivated to create new directions for our business.
Dr. Schwartz has given me invaluable guidance on best ways to network to get partnerships and contracts for my business and we were able to land our first contract shortly after launching the company. She helped my partners and I improve the branding and credibility for the business and I truly feel any business could use her as an asset to achieve their next business goal.
Creative Process
-
Listen
- Engage with key stakeholders for discussions and input
- Understand future vision and mission
- Gain a deeper grasp of the project's needs and formulate SMART goals
- Understand current "as-is" state of the project, operations and business processes
- Capture and document project requirements for clarity and alignment
- Build a better relationship with client through trust Key Value
-
Think
- Understand the overall picture
- Assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)
- Conduct research, analyze data, undertand gaps and develop cost/benefit analysis
- Identify value added solutions and opportunities for improvement
- Create a sound roadmap to complete the project Key Value
-
Create
- Work with the stakeholders to develop the project using Agile program/project management
- Adjust workflows based on project developments
- Create a prototype of final product
- Conduct usability and acceptance testing
- Successfully implement the final product Key Value
-
Drive Results
- Launch final product (MVP)
- Monitor performance and resolve issues
- Collect feedback and perform lessons learned analysis
- Assess ways to streamline and improve operations and processes
- Ensure desired results have been achieved and develop a plan for the future Key Value
LEADERSHIP | CLIENTS | PUBLIC SPEAKING
PRESENTATIONS AND TRAINING
Leadership, Coaching & Empowerment
Key advisor for executive management during organizational restructuring and effectively completing global programs and projects using Agile project management methodologies
Trained Executives, entrepreneurs and HR staff to improve hiring, communications, and marketing.
Led innovative team building and creativity sessions to increase productivity and effectiveness within organizations.
Mentored and prepared teens to be accepted into prestigious art schools/colleges, jobs after high school, and on starting their own business ventures.
SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESS CLIENTS
Brand & Business Development
PRESENTATIONS AND TRAINING
Engagements | Events
Nature’s Touch, September 2021 – Art exibit at the Rockville Arts Festival in MD featuring surreabstract art during COVID.
Vision to Wealth, September 2019 – Spoke on Business Experts panel.
Smart Fitness Holiday Event, December 2019 – Shrewd Networking Presenter.
Online Student Day, July, 2016, June 2017, June 2018 – Online classroom Test Drive. Presented at Drexel University, PA.
SOARS, June 2015 – Foreign expansion of SME, INV and BG firms: An investigation of critical survival and failure factors. Presented at University of Maryland University College.
ICSB Conference, October 2013 – The missing connection: Linking Entrepreneurial Orientation to the Intellectual Property protection. Presented at George Washington University, DC.
Art Exhibit, January 2009 – Art exhibit of surreal and abstract fine art pieced painted by Maria “Masha” Schwartz. Designed and managed the show to promote Halo Lounge, DC.
One of a Kind, November 2008 – Art exhibition of surreal and abstract fine art pieced painted by Maria “Masha” Schwartz. Designed and managed the exhibit to elevate the profile and visibility of RTKL, Baltimore MD.