Mary has lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest since 1992. She brings a broad range of leadership expertise to her new role at ACT honed from her time working in business development, operations, tax and financial accounting, product management and human resources. She is also well-skilled in developing strategies, improving organizational efficiency and ensuring timely implementation of programs and initiatives.
Mary is very much looking forward to working with ACT’s artists, staff, donors, Board and volunteers to support the theatre’s reopening and to steward the organization as it commences a formal search for a permanent managing director.
ACT Board Chair Eric Bennett said, “Mary’s extensive experience and passion for the performing arts makes her a natural fit to be ACT’s Interim Managing Director, particularly as we emerge from COVID. The board and I are excited to collaborate with Mary to continue and enhance our strategic reopening plans.”
“ACT has long played an important role in my life. Nights at the theatre have always been special to me and now, I am honored to be part of the leadership team and to help steward the organization at this critical time,” Mary said. “I look forward to working with our staff, artists, Board of Trustees, donors and volunteers to achieve our strategic objectives, which are laser-focused on our reopening, our commitment to return as a more equitable organization and to our long-term fiscal sustainability. I am also excited to support the development of the theatre’s model for artistic ambition and civic engagement from the inside.”
An ardent supporter of nonprofit organizations, Mary was a founding board member of the Washington Bus, a nonprofit youth-centered voter-engagement initiative, and served as board chair of the Service Board, a nonprofit focused on developing youth leaders through community service and outdoor adventure. She recently helped create Keep Music Live, a fundraising effort to support Washington state’s independent music venues while their doors were shuttered due to COVID-19. She serves as Board Chair of Vibrant Palette Arts Center, an organization dedicated to empowering artists with disabilities and raising the visibility of their work.
Mary earned a master’s degree in accounting, a bachelor’s in business administration and political science from the University of Washington and studied the European Union as a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford. When she’s not working, she’s pursuing any one of her hobbies which include riding her bike or her snowboard, attempting to play guitar, hiking, gardening, or otherwise enjoying one of her hometown Seattle’s amazing restaurants and outdoor spaces.