Mary believes that the key to a successful communications plan begins with listening, leading to a stronger understanding of the needs to be addressed.
Bespoke Style
Listening
Mary’s journey into the world of communications began early in life when, at age seven, she won a writing competition. Her story gave humanity to simple flowers, and she has never left behind that joy of writing and creating. A career spanning over 50 years found her sampling all fields of her chosen vocation as she has worked in television, radio, newspaper, photography, printing, videography, crisis management, and more.
Her over 20 years in corporate America lead her work in the non-profit world culminating in her years as the public information officer for a school district
where she put all the elements together to promote and protect “her” students, staff, board, and community.
Mary holds degrees in communication from Endicott College in Massachusetts and the University of Dayton in Ohio. She joins Nichols Strategies with great enthusiasm as she seeks to share her experience and expertise within the school public relations world.
Public School Flashback
My entry into the world of public education began ten years ago when my high school teacher’s daughter called to tell me about a new position being created in her school district for a public information officer. I applied and the rest became her history.
I am fortunate to have had a wonderful career in marketing communications and was thrilled that this job brought everything full circle to the place where I was truly able to make a difference in her community. My own educational experience is not in public schools, but I became an advocate as my grandchildren
were students in that same public school district where their opportunities for growth through a myriad of classes and extra-curricular activities far exceeded my own experiences.As the public information officer for Desert Sands Unified School District, I became a full member of the security and crisis response team as well as an advocate for special needs programs and state- funded preschool. The “littles” in the district came to call me Grandma Mary as I frequently visited their classrooms to read to these future leaders.