As an Operations Manager, Maria Jalaf is an integral part of the ConnectPay team, using her ten years of experience in the payroll industry to expertly take care of our clients while simultaneously guiding our team of Payroll Specialists in Connecticut.

Yet, outside of the payroll world, there’s a lot more to Maria than meets the eye. She’s a crime novel sleuth and a TikTok feta pasta connoisseur. She absolutely loves to cook but hates baking with a passion. And during the summertime, you’re likely to find her by the water, tanning on the beach or enjoying her family’s lake house in New York.

But out of all of those things, Maria’s greatest passion is her children. In fact, she could go on for hours about how proud she is of her two kids and their accomplishments. Her son Jake was just accepted into an impressive radiology program after graduating from the University of Connecticut and her daughter Nicole, who works alongside her mother at ConnectPay, is a freshman in college majoring in business.

To Maria, family is everything, and there’s nothing better than curling up on the couch with her husband and kids for a family movie night or fine-tuning Lebanese recipes in the kitchen with her mother-in-law. This love and care that Maria gives to her family comes second nature to her - it’s the same kind of affection she experienced first-hand from her own mother growing up.

“My Mom was a very giving, loving person,” Maria conveys. “She never complained about anything. I inspire to be like her and be as good of a Mom as she was.”

Without a doubt, Maria is living up to that aspiration. Beyond raising two incredible children, she is also the dog-mom to the shining star of the Connecticut office: her puppy Dyson, a wheaten terrier and poodle mix. Attached to Maria’s hip, he’s become a staple at ConnectPay, usually sleeping soundly under Maria’s chair as she works.

Yet, Dyson’s not the only one to light up the Connecticut office. Maria’s caring nature has made a huge impression on ConnectPay as well.

“I love my coworkers and team,” Maria explains. “And I love to interact with clients. Making people happy is my favorite part of my job.”

Maria continues, “You know, success has a different definition for everyone, but for me, success is when we don’t get many phone calls on a Friday because we made sure that everything went smoothly for our clients throughout the rest of the week. Success is what you make it. I’m not a title person either. We’re all in this together.”