Mary oversees the graduate program in sport and exercise psychology. She came to KU in 1997 after spending 13 years at the University of Memphis. Her research focuses on creating a caring and task-involving climate for youngsters in physical activity settings. She has co-directed a positive life skills/physical activity program for elementary aged girls called Strong Girls. Mary completed her graduate degrees at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (MS) and Purdue University (PhD). She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, and she is on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. She has served on the Executive Board for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.