Mary began at ASU in 1988 as a graduate student/TA in the English Department. Taking advantage of the university’s employee tuition credit program, she earned a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies with an emphasis in Evaluation in 1998. She retired from ASU in 2020. Over the years she has worked for the Hispanic Research Center, the Fulton Schools of Engineering, the Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College, and the Office of Knowledge Enterprise. Her work included grants writing, program coordination, and evaluation/ research.

She is currently serving as a consultant and raising two active teenagers. She is an avid Pokemon Go player, hiker, kayaker, and volunteer.