Since 2003, Mary has been gathering insights at the source, working alongside foundations, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies focused on child development and family well-being, education, housing, economic mobility, youth justice, community health, and organizational resiliency.

Mary's career has traversed a range of different landscapes. She's been a team member and leader within nonprofit, academia, government, and private sector organizations in Boston, London, and California—experiences that have enriched her understanding that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to how organizations learn and change. This ecosystem-spanning perspective fuels her passion for innovative evaluation approaches that embrace both rigorous methods and lived experience, creating space for all voices to be heard and honored.

In 2025, Mary launched Upstream Learning + Evaluation to bring this philosophy to life—helping organizations move beyond performative measurement and cultivate the understanding that drives transformative change.

When she's not weaving together stories and numbers, Mary enjoys being a mother (to two awesome kids and a very spoiled dog), wife, daughter, sister, auntie, and friend, taking long walks on the beach, impromptu dance parties, getting swept up in a good book, and nurturing her garden—perhaps not surprising for someone who believes in fostering growth wherever she finds it.

Mary holds a PhD and MA in Social Psychology from Boston College and dual BAs in Psychology and Sociology from UC Santa Barbara. Based in Southern California, she partners with organizations nationwide.

When projects call for additional capacity or specialized expertise, Mary collaborates with a carefully curated network of researchers, evaluators, and strategists who share Upstream's values-driven commitment to relationships, responsiveness, resourcefulness, and resonance.

This collective approach allows Upstream to match each project with the ideal combination of skills and perspectives, ensuring that diverse voices are centered and complex challenges are met with nuanced understanding, creativity, rigor, and care.

Because the future we're building requires all of us bringing our best to the work.