María José Catalá holds a PhD in Public Law from CEU-Cardenal Herrera University. She is a member of the Valencia Bar Association and also has an MBA in Business Administration and Management. She is a lecturer in Political Science and Constitutional Law at CEU-Cardenal Herrera University and Valencia International University.
In 2007, at the age of 26, María José was elected as the Mayor of Torrent, the second largest municipality in the province of Valencia, with an absolute majority. She was re-elected with another absolute majority in 2011. In 2012, she was appointed as the Valencian Regional Minister for Education, Training, and Employment, later also taking on the Culture portfolio and serving as the Valencian Regional Government’s spokesperson.
María José has been a City Councillor since 2019 and was elected as the Mayor of Valencia in May 2023. She has been a member of the Valencian Parliament since 2015 and was the spokesperson for the Partido Popular Group. Additionally, she was elected as a member of the Spanish Parliament in 2008. She is currently the spokesperson for the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.