Maris Thomson is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received a dual BA in Peace, War, and Defense and Global Studies. Prior to joining Meridian, she worked as a UNC Student Organizations Coordinator and an Administrative Assistant for the Executive Director of the Carolina Union. She also worked as a Political Affairs intern for the Borgen Project, where she organized information and advocacy campaigns around the topics of extreme poverty and anti-poverty legislation. During her time at the University of North Carolina, Maris was an Orientation Ambassador for Student Life and Leadership and held leadership roles on the Disability Advocates Committee (DAC) and in Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity.