Mary Smith
Senior Consultant/Senior Researcher
Mary is passionate about using research to support transitions from high school to college and career. Her research has covered topics such as K–12 career and technical education finance, early postsecondary opportunities for high school students, and community college support programs for nontraditional students. Partnerships are central to Mary’s work. She has experience collaborating with practitioners and policymakers in a range of state-, district-, and institution-level research-practice partnerships. Mary cares most about conducting research that is relevant to solving pressing education problems and translating research into practical recommendations.
Before joining Education Northwest, Mary was a Saint Louis Translational Fellow in Education at Washington University in St. Louis where she contributed to research-practice partnership work with nearby schools and districts. Her doctoral research focused on education policies that support college and career readiness. Prior to graduate school, Mary worked for the American Institutes for Research on contracted projects for the National Center for Education Statistics.
Education
- Ph.D., Leadership and Policy Studies, Vanderbilt University
- B.A., Psychology and Management and Society, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A book I've read more than once is...
I never re-read books!
A fictional character I identify with is...
Linda from Bob's Burgers
My favorite animal is... (and why)
An otter, they're just so cute
