She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and her doctoral degree from West Virginia University. Mary's area of research focuses on measuring and changing children’s attitudes toward peers with communication disorders. She developed the Attitude Change and Tolerance program (InterACT), an educational program that teaches children about awareness and acceptance of human differences. Mary co-directs Stuttering U., a summer camp for children who stutter and their families. In 2012, she was awarded the Young Alumni Achievement Award from IUP. Prior to coming to Marshall, she worked clinically at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.