From the moment Maia Rubio walked onto an SSC start-up site on her third day as an intern, something clicked. The energy, the movement, the behind-the-scenes coordination, felt like stepping into a place where every person had a purpose and worked together toward a shared goal. Maia intuitively understood that great results come from preparation, teamwork, and genuine care.

What she didn’t know then was that this blend of curiosity, empathy, and appetite for learning would shape her entire journey at SSC.

Discovering Her Calling – Following the Pull Toward Purpose

Maia originally set out to become a teacher. But somewhere between shadowing and coursework, she felt a tug, a quiet certainty that her talents belonged somewhere else. HR, she realized, was where her fascination with people, fairness, and problem-solving could truly come alive.

When she joined SSC in 2021 as an HR intern, she found a workplace that reflected the values she already lived by: integrity, service, humility, and care for people. SSC quickly became more than a workplace. It became a culture she felt connected to.

Leaning into Every Opportunity

Intern Maia was determined to understand everything, how things worked, why decisions were made, what people needed but didn’t always say out loud.

She packed swag bags, gave her all to the Work and Win program, supported start-ups, and even helped launch a new account in her hometown. Each experience added a new aspect to her understanding of HR.

Maia approached every new task with enthusiasm, never shying away from something unfamiliar. She wasn’t just observing the work; she was learning how to navigate it from the inside out.

Her curiosity, steady presence, and commitment to doing the right thing caught the attention of her mentor and champion, Shannon Thornton. VP of Human Resources, who offered her a full-time HR Generalist role.

Developing her Own Processes for Success

As a generalist supporting both Higher Ed and K-12, and eventually specializing in Texas, Maia started developing her own style. She learned that great HR isn’t just policy and paperwork; it’s understanding people.

• • It’s reading between the lines when someone isn’t sure how to express what they need.
  • It’s guiding managers through difficult decisions with empathy and clarity.
  • It’s seeing the whole person, not just the role they are filling.

She began running start-ups on her own, blending operations, culture, compliance, and communication into seamless transitions. Over the years, she has contributed to more than 30 successful account start-ups, each one teaching her something new and building on her scope of knowledge.

Expanding Her Reach and Responsibilities

As she moved into a senior role, Maia took on an entirely new responsibility: overseeing hourly recruiting for all of SSC with a team of 16 recruiters.

This role could have it’s pressures, but she thrived in it. She launched the SSC Hires staffing program, a creative solution that kept great associates engaged through seasonal slowdowns. It’s still used today, one of her signature initiatives she is proud of.

She also introduced random HR compliance audits, ensuring SSC continues to meet the highest standards everywhere we serve. It was another example of her commitment to quality, because details matter.

Stepping Into Leadership

In 2025 Maia stepped in as interim business partner, guided the entire segment, and earned the trust of operators, managers, and leaders across the country. Her success in that interim period wasn’t luck, it was the result of years spent refining her craft, tasting new challenges, and learning what truly nourishes a team: clarity, fairness, communication, and genuine care.

So, when SSC offered her the full-time HR Business Partner for K-12 role, it felt…inevitable. Everything she had built over the years had led her right to that moment.

One of her proudest achievements since?

A 200-associate transition in Winston-Salem, executed so smoothly it felt effortless, yet built on countless hours of planning, partnership, and presence.

“Our associates are the heart of everything we do. If I can make even one person’s experience better, clearer, fairer, or more supported, that’s a good day to me.”

Advice from Maia:

“My two biggest pieces of advice are simple: raise your hand and be willing to try. Don’t turn down a task just because it’s unfamiliar or outside your comfort zone. Every project I’ve taken on, even the small ones, has shaped my abilities in ways I didn’t expect. And second, when you don’t know how to do something, try solving it yourself first. When I was an intern and corporate launched a new employee system, I read the entire manual instead of relying on others for answers. Years later, I’m still the go-to person for that system.”

The Life She Loves Outside of Work

Maia is newly married to her high school sweetheart, now a devoted dog mom to a beagle mix named Bugle, and happiest when sharing food, movies, and laughter with people she loves.

She is:

• • A horror genre loyalist
  • A Pilates enthusiast
  • A thriller novel devourer (Freida McFadden especially)
  • A traveler who uses food as her guidebook
  • And absolutely a Knoxville foodie (Fin-Two sushi and A Dopo are her go-tos)

She loves her family, especially trips to Chattanooga, and prioritizes self-care in the same way she prioritizes teamwork at SSC, with intention and heart.

 

A Word From Her Boss, Shannon Thornton, VP of Human Resources

“Maia brings SSC’s values to life with compassion, humility, and sincere appreciation for our associates. She listens with respect, leads with heart, and approaches every challenge determined to find what’s best for both our associates and the business. Her energy and positivity help our team thrive. Watching her grow from intern to Business Partner has been one of the greatest joys of my career.”

— Shannon Thornton, VP Human Resources

 

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Inspired by Maia’s journey? It started with curiosity, a willingness to learn, and the right support.

At SSC, careers don’t follow a single path – they grow through opportunity, mentorship, and a culture that puts people first. Whether you’re just starting out or ready for your next step, there’s room here to learn, contribute, and build something meaningful. Explore careers with SSC and see where your path could lead.

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