Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, Mary earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a minor in Economics from American University in Washington D.C. She earned an M.S.P in Urban and Regional Planning for Developing Areas from Florida State University. Her entire career has been in the nonprofit arena working on domestic hunger and housing issues, planning for more walkable communities, and international development. She has two grown children and currently lives in Florida with her husband Scott. Mary helped establish Abukloi in 2010 after visiting Rumbek, Sudan in 2009.