Mary is one of a eight children, born and raised in Minnesota. She specializes in public relations, which takes her all over the world. Her award-winning memoir "NO ORDINARY LIFE: Awakenings in the Final Days of Apartheid" is based on her overseas assignment, 1992-1994, in South Africa.

She worked as a Community Liaison Officer and U.S. AID Project Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Cape Town, while on assignment with her husband, a Special Agent with the U.S. State Department. Both worked under Ambassador Princeton Lyman during the end of apartheid leading up to the first democratic elections, when Nelson Mandela was elected President. Since her Foreign Service experience in South Africa, Mary has written and spoken openly about her personal stories of this tumultuous and life-changing period.

As an independent writer, Mary focuses on her international diplomatic experiences and draws on her passion for travel, wildlife, human rights, and women's issues to create notable stories worth sharing.

Mary continues her work in public affairs, producing global events with NGOs, corporate, and non-profit organizations. She has lived in a dozen locations around the world, including U.S. Embassy assignments in Switzerland and Malta which she is currently writing about to complete the trilogy series. Currently, she resides in Colorado with her husband Patrick and their adopted pets.