She holds a PhD and MBA from the University of Alabama. Her undergraduate degree in business administration is from Mississippi College. Prior to starting work in the PhD program, Mary was a public relations specialist for an industrial distribution firm that has branches throughout the United States and Canada and worked as a small business consultant for the University of Alabama Small Business Development Center. Mary studies consumer behavior in service provider and retail settings. Her work can be found in the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Service Research, and the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. Mary has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. She can be reached at mharriso@bsc.edu.