[4] Maxa began his career in journalism after graduating from Ohio University[5] as an investigative reporter, magazine writer, and personalities columnist at The Washington Post.

His reporting on a Capitol Hill sex scandal and the resulting changes in congressional rules was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and he received the John Hancock Award for Excellence in Business and Financial Journalism for a series of stories on an international Ponzi scheme.

He was a columnist and contributor to ABC.com, MSNBC.com and other websites and frequent guest on travel topics on CNN, MSNBC-TV, and other national television talk shows.

He wrote for the ABC-TV drama series Capital News and for several years hosted a Saturday-morning radio talk show on political issues for WRC-AM, Washington, D.C.

He has a daughter and a son, Alex Maxa, who runs Gillibus, a vintage bus rental service in San Francisco.