Maurer grew up in Rockland County, New York. She attended the then Women's College of the University of North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. After working as an economist for the U.S. Tariff Commission, she attended Yale University where she obtained a Master of Arts in General Studies. In 1984, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Hood College.

Elected in January, 1987, as State Treasurer for Maryland, Maurer was the first woman to serve in this capacity and the twenty-first Treasurer since the State Constitution of 1851 provided for the selection of the Treasurer by the General Assembly.

From 1969 until 1987, she served in the House of Delegates, where for sixteen years she was a member of the Ways and Means Committee and chaired the Joint Committee on Federal Relations for four years. Maurer was widely known for her experience in developing funding formulas for public schools and for her leadership in fiscal affairs.

During her legislative career, Maurer was active in the Nation Conference of State Legislatures, chairing the Education Committee from 1979-1980, and the Tax and Trade Committee from 1985-1986. She served on the Intergovernmental Advisory Council of the U.S. Department of Education as a Presidential appointee from 1980 to 1982.

Maurer was a member of many community organizations such as the League of Women Voters. She was also the recipient of numerous awards and honors from such groups as the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, Maryland Association of Counties, Maryland Association for Retarded Children, chapters of the Business and Professional Women, and the American Association of University Women. Additionally, she is listed in Who's Who in Government, Who's Who in American Politics, Who's Who of American Women, Foremost Women of the Twentieth Century, and Community Leaders and Noteworthy Americans.