Mary volunteers as a facilitator of Nature Circles and Children, Nature & You workshops.  She is also the Maryland contact for the Children & Nature Network’s Leave No Child Inside campaign, and is a guiding member of the Greater Baltimore Children & Nature Collaborative.

Mary’s full time job is managing Environmental Education at the Parks and People Foundation, working to improve the quality of life in Baltimore City neighborhoods. She also serves on the board of Earthome, an educational non-profit that promotes sustainability in the Chesapeake region.

Mary hails from central Illinois and spent her childhood playing in a city park. She credits her Midwestern roots as the source for her passion to connect urban kids and families to nearby parks, community gardens, and green schoolyards.  Drawing on an undergraduate degree in Botany and an M.F.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Mary has combined ecology and art throughout her life. She has written and directed award winning feature films that focus on family and nature, and she often incorporates theatre games and exercises in her nature workshops. 

Mary is an avid vegetable gardener and loves hiking and biking in the amazing natural places across Maryland.