Maya Pomroy

Maya Buryakovsky Pomroy is an influential executive, entrepreneur, and award-winning host and journalist with 20+ years’ experience. As founder of The Public Lead, Maya is dedicated to highlighting stories impacting business, public policy, and nonprofit organizations. She is a highly sought-after speaker and board member, speaking on multiple topics, including thought leadership, entrepreneurship, strategic planning, and business transformation. She is also one of the hosts of Rice Business' podcast, Owl Have You Know, winning the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts' (AIVA) Communicator Award of Distinction (2024) and Award of Excellence (2023). 

Maya’s entrepreneurial passion was ignited following the birth of her first child, leading her to launch educational toy and bookstore, Brilliant Sky Toys and Books in Austin, Texas. She grew the business in revenue exponentially within the first three years of operations, then brokered and executed its sale.

Before taking the leap into entrepreneurship, she served as an award-winning news anchor, reporter and executive producer for television news in Austin, Waco and Bryan/College Station.

She earned a BBA from The McCombs School of Business, and a bachelor of journalism from The University of Texas, along with a master’s degree in public policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She is a Rice Business Class of 2022 Executive MBA, and remains heavily involved with education and policy initiatives. Maya serves on the boards of Children@Risk, Children’s Museum of Houston, Main Street Theater, and the newest chapter of Impact 100, and she’s a founding member of Generation Serve Houston. She recently accepted the role of board chair for The Center of New American Children for Children@Risk. Maya and her oldest daughter hold board positions in National Charity League’s Bayou City chapter in which they engage and serve multiple philanthropies in the greater Houston area.

In 2024, Maya won the Rising Star Award at the Rice Business Alumni Awards. A refugee from the former Soviet Union, she is passionate about immigration policy reform, specifically as it relates to children. She and her husband Matt are parents to two daughters, Emma and Madelyn, along with their pups, Iris and Pearl.